Welcome to Peter Mentzel

My name is Peter Mentzel, born in the Ore Mountains in 1955 and living in Meissen since 1981.

With few interruptions, I worked as a sports and German teacher at various schools, most recently at the BSZ Meißen.

The joy of writing has accompanied me since my early youth. Short stories and poems were outlets for processing disappointments, whether due to the end of a romantic relationship or injustices at school, in society, or within my circle of friends. Most of these early "works" have been lost; some have survived and have found their place in my new book.

It wasn't until the violent death of my son Thomas in 2007 that I realized that writing is a valuable method for managing my emotions, my anger, and my feelings. The book "Sixer" was written four years after I lost a son, but also a dear friend.

Many years passed without me summoning the courage to sit down at the computer and put my worries into writing. Editing one of his books and many conversations with my former musician colleague and good friend Micha Waldek brought me back to writing, and the recently published book "Restless Through Two Worlds" was born.

The book is an autobiographical novel that, through many episodes from a long life, reflects the development of people caught between two worlds—specifically, 35 years of the GDR and 35 years of reunified Germany. The text is written in simple, not always serious language.

Readers will be captivated by formative experiences and personal stories that not only concern the author, but will also discover themselves in the descriptions in some passages. They will experience seventy years of German history in thirty-one episodes and will be confronted with current problems in our society and the psychological struggles of the generations.

The text is not necessarily arranged chronologically; leaps in time are intentional and illustrate contrasts between yesterday and today. I have not always adhered to absolute "truths," partly due to the fact that facts have been lost, and partly to make events more visible. All the people mentioned in the book played an important role in my life and are mentioned by name where I received permission. Other names are only partially real or misrepresented.

Since my early youth and to this day, I have been an active amateur musician and an enthusiastic skier and motorcyclist.

I have been married to my wife Ute for the third time since 2006. I have two children from my second marriage, the eldest of whom is no longer alive.

The new edition of "SIXER" is available from tredition, all online stores, and local bookstores since September 1, 2025.