Stephan Thiemonds (born April 5, 1971, in Lendersdorf/

Düren Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne, on the river Rur (river), Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the ter ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

), is a German author, who writes

travelogues Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or web series, online series that describes travel in g ...

and

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

in the style of

gonzo journalism Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to have been first used in 1970 to descri ...

and

magic realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical re ...

, in which the boundaries between reality and fantasy become blurred. Due to his professional career, many of his stories can be categorised as

Proletarian literature Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' states that because it "is essentially an intended device of revolution", it is t ...

Life

Thiemonds trained as a

coppersmith A coppersmith, also known as a brazier, is a person who makes artifacts from copper and brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The term "redsmith" is used for a tinsmith that uses tinsmithing tools and techniques to make copper items. Hi ...

and a

welder A welder is a person or equipment that fuses materials together. The term welder refers to the operator, the machine is referred to as the welding power supply. The materials to be joined can be metals (such as steel, aluminum, brass, stainles ...

at GEA Cancler GmbH in

, and later qualified as a

construction foreman A construction foreman is the worker or skilled tradesperson who is in charge of a construction crew. This role is generally assumed by a senior worker who is seasoned and competent in their field, but also capable of project leadership (oversigh ...

and a European Welding Specialist ( EWF). Between 2003 and 2022 he travelled as a service and commissioning technician across the world working for Buss SMS Canzler GmbH, based in Butzbach, Germany, a manufacturer of industrial machines, like Thin Film Evaporators, specialised in

process engineering Process engineering is a field of study focused on the development and optimization of industrial processes. It consists of the understanding and application of the fundamental principles and laws of nature to allow humans to transform raw mate ...

. Numerous professional and personal journeys to all continents inspired him to write his

semi-autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

short stories. At the end of 2022 he changed full-time to DSI Laser Service Thailand Co., Ltd. for which he worked part-time since 2017. In the summer of 2002 he began a bike journey that lasted many months, and took him all the way to Australia. He was sponsored on this endeavour, with people pledging €1 for every kilometer cycled. The monies collected were donated to the fund for the restoration of a fire-damaged spire that forms part of Merode Castle, the most famous landmark of his hometown of Merode, municipality of

Langerwehe Langerwehe is a municipality in the Düren (district), district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 10 km west of Düren. It is a twin town of Exmouth, United Kingdom. Nearby is Holzheim Cast ...

. Since 2012 Thiemonds has lived with his partner and their daughter in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

. In 2015 he moved back to his origin home country

. In 2017 he incorporated as a German Ambassador the

not-for-profit organization A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

Child's Dream. On 29 November 2018, the Saysa Morn Primary School, built under the auspices of Child's Dream and funded by ''Querweltein Unterwegs'' readers, friends and patrons, was inaugurated in the Cambodian province of

Banteay Meanchey province Banteay Meanchey (, , ) is a Provinces of Cambodia, province of Cambodia located in the far northwest. It borders the provinces of Oddar Meanchey province, Oddar Meanchey to the north, Siem Reap province, Siem Reap to the east, Battambang provi ...

359° - The Workaday Life Of An Industrial Gypsy

For the main title of the German-language book series named ''Querweltein Unterwegs'', the author chose the main title for the foreign-language book series

inscribed angle In geometry, an inscribed angle is the angle formed in the interior of a circle when two chords intersect on the circle. It can also be defined as the angle subtended at a point on the circle by two given points on the circle. Equivalently, an ...

''359°''. Its interpretation is ambiguous. The title is based on both occupational travel and professional life. In addition, the inscribed angle should point to the nearly circular earth: an almost perfect 360° full angle. In contrast to this, 1° is missing from the book title. Symbolic of this is that neither travel nor professional life is perfect. How hard you try to matter, at least one piece is still missing. However, the lack of a degree should not be interpreted as a flaw, but indicate a belonging to the art of living area: on the left dealing with all requirements and entanglements that bring the travel and professional life with him. Thiemonds was inspired to create the book series main title ''359°'' during a professional stay in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

when visiting a shopping mall, by the logo of the Chinese sportswear and sports equipment manufacturers

361˚ 361 Degrees International Ltd. (Chinese: 三六一度; pinyin: ''sānliùyīdù'') is a leading Chinese sportswear and athletic lifestyle brand headquartered in Xiamen, Fujian. The company is known for its performance-focused footwear, apparel, a ...

. A selection of his short stories from his German “Querweltein – Unterwegs“ series of books has been translated into English. It contains stories from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, from “Seventh Heaven“ and from “Above Clouds“.In 2016 a revised ''359°'' edition was published in India.

Cover

The cover of the first English edition shows a

hard hat A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in hazardous environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the Human head, head from injury due to falling objects (such as tools and debris), impact with other objects, and ...

held upside down. On its front, also wrong way up, the

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

of the machinery and plant engineering company Buss SMS Canzler GmbH is depicted. As is usual in the international industry sector, the logo on the front serves to identify the wearer's company affiliation. Within the helmet rests the earth, resembling an egg in an egg cup. The angle measurement of 359° in the book title is meant to express that no man-made workmanship will ever achieve perfection (the geometric unit of a turn). The subheading''You’ll Never Work Alone'' is borrowed in slightly altered form from the song title "

You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and e ...

You’ll Never Work Alone!

The subtitle of the foreign ''Querweltein Unterwegs'' book series, ''You'll Never Work Alone !'', was borrowed in slightly modified form, from the song title ''You'll Never Walk Alone''. While referring „to go“ (together-through-life) to the lyrics „walk“, so the „work“ in the book subtitle is in conjunction with the (professional) work. Thiemonds was inspired for this

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

during a professional stay in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. During his research on new England-stories that was published in 2008 in the ''Querweltein Unterwegs'' edition 3, ''Despite overtime explore the world'', he came across the original Broadway anthem of

FC Liverpool Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has ...

entered the football world was through the Fanblock The Kop and up is now sung before every home game. Emotionally touched by the backstory lyric, Thiemonds discovered parallels to the (professional) life of a single traveler. ''You'll Never Work Alone'' should remember that nobody, never accomplishes a productive activity all to yourself. Always there are people (or colleagues) who have either provided a preparatory work, or stand supportive aside during the actual work task. The subtitle is to encourage in (professional) difficult times to carry on / -to go forward/ - to work further. It is also intended to draw attention to always consider the personal work as a

synergy Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts (i.e., a non-linear addition of force, energy, or effect). The term ''synergy'' comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία ' f ...

Co-author of technical articles

In conjunction with his occupational activities at DSI Laser Service Thailand Co, Ltd, Thiemonds writes technical articles in the field of

Laser Beam Welding Laser beam welding (LBW) is a welding technique used to join pieces of metal or thermoplastics through the use of a laser. The beam provides a concentrated heat source, allowing for narrow, deep welds and high welding rates. The process is freque ...

technology together with Prof. Dr.-Ing Gerd Kuscher from the German welding society ''Schweißtechnische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, SLV Hannover''. The articles are published in various trade journals, both in German and in English translations, for instance in ''Schweissen und Schneiden'', ''Der Praktiker'', ''Giesserei'', ''Welding and Cutting''. Their publisher is ''DVS-Media'', also named ''Home of Welding'', a division of the German, technical-scientific professional association ''DVS - Deutscher Verband für Schweißen und verwandte Verfahren e. V.'' (German welding society). Furthermore, Thiemonds writes technical articles for the India-based online magazine for welding technology ''Weldfab Tech Times''.

Works

* 2003 ''Querweltein – Eine Radreise voller Gegensätze'' (New Edition 2013 ), * 2005 ''Querweltein – Unterwegs: Schrauben, Spesen und Chinesen'', * 2008 ''Querweltein – Unterwegs: Trotz Überstunden die Welt erkunden'', * 2010 ''Querweltein – Unterwegs: Seemannsgarn oder Sabotage in der Antarktis'', * 2015 ''Querweltein – Unterwegs: Berufsalltag oder Alltagsflucht'', * 2015 ''Querweltein – Unterwegs: Die Entdeckung der Erfinderkinder'', Iatros, Sonnefeld, * 2015 ''Querweltein – Unterwegs: Schweißen verbindet'', Iatros, Sonnefeld, . In English: * 2012 ''359° - Workadays Life Of An Industrial Gypsy – You’ll never work alone!'', * 2016 ''359° – Worker, Writer, World-traveller – You’ll never work alone!.'' Notionpress, India, . * 2023 ''Welding connects – You'll Never Work Alone'' (Translation of the 2020 in German language published title ''Schweißen verbindet'', revised and expanded with new stories). DVS Media Düsseldorf, ISBN 978-3-96144-197-6 In Chinese: * 2016 ''环游地球359°一位德国工程师的工业之旅》你不是一个人在奋斗！'' (englisch, ''359° - Workdays Life Of An Industrial Gypsy'') Intellectual Property Publishing House, Beijing, . Technical articles (selection): In German: * ''Reparatur eines Dampfturbinenrotors in Thailand mittels Laserschweißtechnik'', in ''Der Praktiker'' (issue 6/2020, S. 274–277). * ''Impuls-Laserstrahlschweißen – start thinking big! Reparaturauftragschweißen eines Stossdämpfergehäuses durch Impuls-Laserstrahlschweißen'', in ''Der Praktiker'' issue 1/2023, S. 22–25 * ''Problemlos ohne Wärmevor- und -nachbehandlung: Reparaturschweißen von Gusseisen mit Kugelgraphit'', in ''Der Praktiker'', issue 4/2023, S. 156–159 und in ''Giesserei'' issue 8/2023, S. 32–35 * ''Impuls-Laserstrahlschweißen – über den Wolken von Thailand: Reparaturschweißen von Flugzeugturbinenteilen durch Impuls-Laserstrahlschweißen'', in ''Der Praktiker'' (issue 11/2023, S. 668–674). * ''Reparaturen von Flugzeugturbinenteilen durch Impuls-Laserstrahlschweißen'', in ''Schweissen und Schneiden'' (issue 12/2023, S. 934–939). * ''Wärmeeinflusszone (WEZ) – Vergleich zwischen den Prozessen Lichtbogenhand-, Metall-aktivgas- und Impuls-Laserstrahlschweissen: WEZ – Die meistgefürchtete „Danger Zone“ der Schweißtechnik'' in ''Der Praktiker'' (issue 7-8/2024, S.52-56). In English: * ''Repair of a steam turbine in Thailand using pulsed laser beam welding'', in ''Welding and Cutting'' (issue 02/2020, S. 104–106) * ''Pulsed laser beam welding – start thinking big! Repair welding of a shock absorber housing'', ''Welding and Cutting'' issue 1/2023, S. 10–13 * ''Repair welding of spheroidal graphite cast iron – Problem-free without heat pre-treatment and post-treatment'', in ''Welding and Cutting'', issue 2/2023, S. 20–23 * ''Pulsed laser welding – High above the clouds of Thailand'', in ''Welding and Cutting'', issue 1/2024, S. 82–88 / as extra edition published in ''Schweissen und Schneiden'', issued 4/2024 * ''HAZ – The most feared Danger Zone in welding technology'', in ''Welding and Cutting'', issue 2/2024, S.28-32. * ''Pulse Laser Welding Development: Back then it has started with thinking small – now it’s time to start thinking BIG!'', in Indias Welding Magazine ''Weldfab Tech Times'', issue 10/11 2024, S. 48–52.''Pulse Laser Welding Development : Back then it has started with thinking small – now it’s time to start thinking BIG!'
online ''Weldfab Tech Times''
(Accessed on 05.01.2025.)

References

External links

Literatur by and about Stephan Thiemonds
in the catalogue of the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...

Querweltein Unterwegs
Homepage book series (German)
Buss SMS Canzler GmbH
Website
Merode Castle
Website

about the bike trip around the world {{DEFAULTSORT:Thiemonds, Stephan 1971 births Living people German male writers