Low: Bowie's Berlin Years

Reinhard Kleist

Book cover for Low: Bowie's Berlin Years
Book cover for Low: Bowie's Berlin Years

Low: Bowie's Berlin Years

Low: Bowie's Berlin Years

Reinhard Kleist

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Description
David Bowie's legendary time in West Berlin as he searches for inspiration and records his 1977 album Low

LOW traces the aftermath of David Bowie's groundbreaking tour of America and the iconic "Berlin years" that followed.

Hot on the platform heels of Starman: Bowie's Stardust Years (SelfMadeHero, 2023), Reinhard Kleist masterfully concludes his two-part biography of David Bowie.

In 1976, Bowie escaped the frantic madness and substance abuse of his life in Los Angeles for the Wall of the divided city of Berlin. With his friend Iggy Pop in tow, Bowie quit drugs and created LOW, the first album of his "Berlin Trilogy." But even here, in some of the happiest days of his life, Ziggy Stardust would not let him go . . .

LOW follows Bowie's forays through West Berlin's revolutionary music scene and wild club life, and takes us deep into his recording sessions at Hansa Studios. The friendship between Bowie and Iggy drives both artists to new creative heights, while Bowie's relationship with the cabaret artist and drag icon Romy Haag illuminates his fascination with Berlin as a city on the brink.

Kleist's LOW is both a retelling of Bowie's Berlin years and a vibrant portrait of the city itself.

[This publication has not been prepared, approved, authorized, or licensed by the David Bowie estate or any related entity.]

About the Author

Reinhard Kleist, born in 1970 in Hürth, Cologne, has worked and lived as an illustrator and comic book artist in Berlin since 1996. He made his international breakthrough in 2006 with the biographical comic book Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness, which was awarded the renowned Max and Moritz Prize and nominated for both the Eisner and Harvey Awards. With The Boxer in 2013, Kleist became the first cartoonist to receive the German Youth Literature Prize. In 2017, Kleist once again tackled one of music's great storytellers in Nick Cave: Mercy on Me, which was simultaneously released in many languages. In 2018, Kleist was honored for his work with the Max and Moritz Prize for Best German-Language Comic Book Artist. In 2021, Kleist tackled another extraordinary boxing champion, Emile Griffith, in the comic book Knock Out! His critically acclaimed graphic biography of David Bowie will form two parts: Starman: Bowie's Stardust Years (SelfMadeHero, 2023) and LOW: Bowie's Berlin Years (SelfMadeHero, 2025).

Critical Reviews

"This always fascinating, sometimes challenging, book captures both the detail and spirit of Bowie's Berlin Years making Low, an absolute high."

-- "The Slings & Arrows" (1/11/2026 12:00:00 AM)

"Gleefully potent, loose-limbed, energetically fantasmagoric yet understated art... LOW: Bowie's Berlin Years is as much a potent tribute to the city and its people at a key point in history as only a Cologne-born Berliner-by-choice could tell it. It's also a powerful reminder of those precarious times and how fashion, art and music helped us through the grimness of it all..."

-- "Now Read This!" (1/8/2026 12:00:00 AM)

"Bowie's Berlin Years is an affectionate, thorough addition to the almost-mystical power of its dual subjects."

-- "Buzz Magazine" (1/8/2026 12:00:00 AM)

"This book is a real labour of love and a testament to a high point in Bowie's career... a must read."

-- "The Indiependant" (1/8/2026 12:00:00 AM)

"A Reinhard Kleist graphic novel is always a good time and this is no exception."

-- "Bookmunch" (1/8/2026 12:00:00 AM)

"Kleist's ability to jump in time between panels allows him to spin a web of connection and allusion that brings together all the various incarnations of Bowie's life and career."

-- "The Herald"

Publishing Information

Publisher: Selfmadehero
Pub date: 2025-07-08
Length: 176 pages

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