Iconic German filmmaker Werner Herzog is writing two new books, including a memoir, the Guardian reports.
Herzog, the director of films such as Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Grizzly Man, will publish both books with The Bodley Head, a Vintage Publishing UK imprint. There’s no word yet on whether the books will be published in the United States.
The first book, The Twilight World, will tell the story of Hiroo Onoda, the Japanese soldier who, for 29 years, refused to accept his nation’s defeat in World War II. Onoda lived in the Philippines for many years before surrendering in 1974; he died in 2014.
Herzog will follow that book with one that tells the story of his life and his six decades as a director. Jörg Hensgen, The Bodley Head’s editorial director said the memoir will “throw fascinating light on the influences and ideas that drive Herzog’s creativity and have shaped his unique view of the world.”
Herzog is the author of previous books, including Conquest of the Useless, a diary of his experiences directing the famously troubled 1982 film Fitzcarraldo, and Of Walking in Ice, about his 500-mile journey on foot from Munich to Paris to visit a dying friend.
The Twilight World is slated for publication in the summer of 2022; his memoir will be published the following year.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
