It was here he studied, and here that he's enjoying his comeback. But in fact, Berlin's Humboldt University is just one of 31 colleges hosting seminars in how to read Karl Marx. Across Germany, around 2000 people this term are attending courses in Marxist theory, organised by the left-wing student organization SDS.

Marx's surge in popularity wihtin German universities is matched by sales of his book, Capital, which is increasingly hard to find in bookshops. The publishers of the book's German edition have now completely sold out: 1,500 copies since January, three times the usual level. That hardly makes Marx's masterpiece a bestseller, but is certainly impressive for an academic work deemed challenging, to say the least.

Today's readers are not necessarily potential supporters of Marxist ideology. Left Party ('Die Linke') politician Sahra Wagenknecht is herself a keen reader of Marx's works. She's convinced that her party will benefit from this new critical look at capitalism in next year's federal elections. The Left Party expects to get over 10 percent of votes.

But for now, it's Karl Marx who's enjoying the success. Conventional economists are completely baffled by the current economic crisis. Marx however has always insisted that crisis is an integral part of capitalism. The present crisis may be hitting Germany hard, but thanks to a new generation of readers, one winner at least is the famous bearded thinker from Trier.