The 83-year-old Klaus Willebrandt talking about him Dostoyevsky and him Kafka on TikTok against the backdrop of the shelves of his antique bookstore – and is gathering thousands of followers.

When one sees Klaus Willebrandt, the term influencer is definitely not the first thing that comes to mind – at least not a clichéd influencer. He is not dressed eccentrically or even fashionably and would probably be afraid to be asked about his grooming routine. The 83-year-old German has white hair and wears a rather old-fashioned jacket with wide pockets. And yet, Klaus Willbrand is an influencer, and an extremely successful one at that: On Instagram he has over 100,000 followers, while on TikTok he has around 40,000. It seems that old age cannot prevent success in social networks.

His love of books and knowledge made him famous

His life is dedicated to literature: His small second-hand bookshop has been located almost in a small alley in Cologne for 20 years. A place he set up with love – for literature and old books and is now an institution in the city.

A second-hand bookseller has no vision of getting rich through his work. However, for Klaus Willbrandt the decline in sales has brought him face to face with radical decisions: Is it time to lock up his shop? One thought that accompanied him until he uploaded the first video to the Internet: It was Good Friday. And what followed was a kind of… Resurrection. “Since we’ve been using TikTok and Instagram, sales have skyrocketed,” says the antique dealer proudly.

“What three books should one have read?”

This was the first question he posed to the much younger audience on social platforms. The social media venture was taken over by a young lady – about 50 years younger than Klaus Willbrand, Daria Razumovic. The two met a few years ago at a flea market.

They started talking about books. The store was underperforming at the time. “I had very interesting discussions with Mr. Willbrand. And then I thought: This knowledge must be recorded somewhere, says Daria, who suggested that he try social network platforms. “He had nothing left to lose,” he says.

Razumovic takes videos and asks questions, Willbrand answers. And the venture seems to be working well now. Fan comments confirm this. Surprisingly, social media users seem to like Willbrand’s “analog” personality.

Edited by: Chrysa Vachtsevanu