Gabriella Wegfahrt: From Balzac to Pope John Paul

Bayer president and managing director Hans Joachim Wegfahrt and his wife  Gabriella have been in the Philippines for a year and a half. 

“We came to Manila in August 2011,” says the Italian Gabriella. “We love the Philippines, not only because of the beautiful clear water and the white beaches, but because of the friendly and peaceful people.  We have moved to different countries, including Pakistan, Kenya, Germany, Portugal, South Africa but we have never felt at home like here.  Perhaps the reason is that Filipinos are similar to Italians: hospitable people, family oriented and with a strong Catholic belief.  People who love eating, singing and smiling.”

Gabriella and her husband read books in English and several European languages.

Below, she shares her favorite books and a few of her husband’s:

1. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

I read the book in German language. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a semi-autobiographical novel, written by Dai Sijie. It’s the story of two teenagers, sent to a remote Chinese Village near Tibet, to be reeducated after the Chinese Cultural Revolution.  There, they are forced to work in coalmines and the only things that keep them alive are the novels of European authors, forbidden by Chinese law, and the love of the local tailor, the little seamstress.  She is a rare beauty, but without a formal education, not even able to read.  So the boys read to her.

I like the book because touches on themes like friendship and lost innocence and it’s a beautiful celebration of life, literature, humor and freedom.

2. As Relas Ardem Ate’ Ao Fim (Embers) by Sandor Marai.

The book is about an elderly aristocratic general who invites an old friend from military school to his secluded woodland castle for dinner.  The friend had mysteriously disappeared for 41 years, after they went hunting together in the nearby forest.  Over the dinner, the general launches into a monologue, where passion, betrayal, trust, loss and revenge are discussed, with the patience of the worldly-wise and the courtesy of the aristocrat.

The two friends had lived a different life, one far away in Asia and the other secluded in his castle.  But both of them were waiting for this moment:  to meet each other the very last time and to share a terrible secret…

The book is a beautiful reflection on friendship, passion, memories and on a nostalgic past that, as in Proust, never comes back. In addition, it is very well written and structured.

3. Johannes Paul II Das Geheimuis des Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II: The Secret of Karol Wojtyla) by Andreac Englisch

This is a very special book for me! Adreac Englisch is a German journalist who headed for 10 years the correspondent office of Axel Springer, an important German publishing house.  By the end of 2010 he worked exclusively as a Vatican correspondent.  Adreac spent more than 20 years close to Karol Wojtyla, witnessing his work, his life and his suffering. During his travels with Jon Paul II, he transformed himself from a pope critic into a pope worshipper. In the book he documents the secrets of Karol Wojtyla.

I met Englisch when I was working as a stewardess for Alitalia.  I was lucky and blessed to belong to the airline crew who flew with John Paul II from Rome to Bogota (Colombia), a privilege that transformed my life.  Englisch’s biography of the late Pope brings to life the story of a legendary contemporary figure and includes details from the author’s experience in Vatican, too.  He believes that John Paul II might have had extraordinary, perhaps even supernatural gifts, that he was surrounded by a mysterious aura, which I could feel myself, as I met him.  With the beatification, however, the Church has expressed the conviction that this Pope has indeed worked miracles.

I like this book because it shows the power and the inner freedom of this man, which kept him from bending his knee to the bureaucracy of the Vatican or to the rulers of the old Eastern Bloc.  John Paul II never styled himself a saint.  He preferred to be close to people and pass on to them the conviction of his life:  â€œDon’t be afraid”…

4. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

The EQ concept argues that IQ, or conventional intelligence, is too narrow and that there are wider areas of emotional intelligence that dictate and enable how successful we are.

Success requires more than IQ, which measures intelligence, ignoring essential behavioral and character elements.  EQ refers to how we manage ourselves and our relationships, how motivated we are and how we can handle stress feelings.  EQ shows our social skills and our ability to recognize and understand ours and other people’s emotions.

My husband and I like this book because it is an important instrument for understanding yourself, your goals, your responses and for managing the relationships and the feeling of the others.  It is also a helpful guide for reducing stress for individuals and organizations, improving relationships and understanding and increasing stability continuity and harmony.

EQ is an important consideration in human resources planning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing and selection, management development, customer relationship, customer service. EQ links also strongly with concepts of love and spirituality, bringing compassion and humanity to work.

Achim likes books about politics and management.  His favorite books are Winning by Jack Welch, chairman and CEO of General Electric.  His style of management, focused on people, teamwork and profits, is destined to become the bible of business for generations to come. He also likes Guts by Robert A. Lutz, the seven laws of business that made Chrysler the world’s hottest car company; Sturzings Chaos (Descent Into Chaos) by Pakistan journalist Ahmed Rashid who explains why the situation in these countries have become worse in the last nine years and the roles they play in threatening the world.

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The Reading Club recommends for your young children’s reading pleasure, The Hunters by four-year-old Zayden Ramos and comic illustrator Kajo Baldisimo. Available at National Book Store and Powerbooks.

Emerald Headway announces their April issue will have Filipino APLdAP on the cover.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome at my email gr.rodis@yahoo.com.