For my birthday a few days ago, I received a welcome surprise gift from my sister. A new book about the Leica, Oskar Barnack, the Leitz family and the development of the camera, with the title "Das Licht im Rücken" (The Light In The Back). Not that the development of the Leica has not been written about numerous times. But this book is different in as much that it is written as a novel.
The author Sandra Lüpke tells the story of the Leica, from the time of patient tinkering at the beginning of the twentieth century to its triumphant march around the world. How this groundbreaking invention shaped the fate of two families.
A novel about bold visions and bitter disappointments, at a time when lies and truth became a matter of perspective.
It starts with Oskar Barnack taking the famous photograph of the Eisenmarkt in Wetzlar in 1914.
"Nobody paid him any attention. A slight man with wavy hair. He forgot his hat in the excitement. Now he solemnly raises the metal box to eye level, looks through the viewfinder, and forces himself to calm down. A push of a button, followed by a dry click. It is the sound with which he captures the moment. Nobody noticed anything. And yet nothing is as before".
Another major part is where Sandra Lüpke describes Ernst Leitz making the fateful decision to build the Leica. This was shortly after the German economy was in dire straits. Inflation had been rampant, to the point that people were faced to pay one million marks or more for just a loaf of Bread.
Ernst Leitz II, called 'Der Zweite' (the second) in the book, had struggled for some time to find a solution that allowed him to pay the people working for him adequately to allow them to get back on their feet.
On a trip to the USA, he recognized the potential of the camera and pushed the production of the camera forward, despite war and inflation. Eventually it had been decided to make a small number of preproduction models for evaluation.
He had called a meeting with his closest advisors to discuss the matter. A sample of the cameras sat on a table.
"What we see here is only a small part of results from our prototypes. Twenty-five working cameras that were in more or less experienced hands. Admittedly, there are blurry or incorrectly exposed images. Nevertheless, I think that the majority is impressive".
A lively discusion regarding the feasibility of the camera follows. Many are afraid that such an unproven venture into the marketing of cameras for a microscope manufacturer might backfire.
"A failure could cause lasting damage to our good reputation".
At the end the final decision is up to Ernst Leitz II. He decides:
"...We will risk it".
Courage and patience finally payed off, only to be faced with much more dramatic decisions when the Nazis come to power. Can you be a successful entrepreneur in times like these - and remain human?
The times under the Nazis are a considerable part of the book, including the arrest and imprisonment of Ernst Leitz II daughter Elsie. Only a considerable amount of money results in her being kept from being sent to a concentration camp...
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