"Die Jahre umarmen". Anselm Grün über das Älterwerden

At the age of 62, Anselm Grün wrote the book "The High Art of Aging." The dtv edition alone has gone through 17 printings to date. Now, having turned 80 in February 2025, he has put his earlier theories to the test. In his book "Embracing the Years," he takes stock of his aging process (at least for now). The book is characterized by a liberating honesty and a profound realism. "Even as a monk, my spirituality doesn't necessarily deepen with age," he says. In a conversation about aging with hr journalist Klaus Hofmeister at the Seligenstadt monastery café, he reveals himself as a man who has come to terms with himself—also in the realization that old age by no means dissolves the old, petty patterns that have accompanied him throughout his life. Instead, it's about reconciling oneself with one's own reality, its limitations and possibilities, and looking back on the years with gratitude. The wonderful feeling of serenity and also of no longer having to prove anything makes old age a phase of life "that I like," as the well-known Benedictine monk and bestselling author says.