Reiner Kunze says his book, »Kiss of the Koi«, came into being from »the melancholy of happy moments.« He calls it his »>counter-book<, a book to counter the prevailing tone of ugliness, nastiness, brutality.« To accompany his reflections, Kunze spent four years taking photographs from the edge of his pond - at no time using an underwater camera. He created portraits of his colorful Japanese carp (Koi) that show the dignity and individual characteristics of each fish, a photographic accompaniment as unique as the fact that a poet would use a Koi as a point of departure to reflect on our animal nature. The author speaks of them as his »allies.« Readers whose souls are not encased in a »coat of chain mail armour« will feel this way about the book.