GERMANY: An aspiring German painter refused to speak for 29 years until his father's death because of paternal opposition to his chosen career.
"All I was interested in was art, but he was always against it. There came a point when I simply had nothing more to say," Rainer Herpel (51) said yesterday.
Herpel's mother Waltraut (78), with whom he has lived in the western spa town of Bad Ems all these years, said he gave up talking when his father stopped him from attending art school.
During his mute period, Herpel, who also speaks English, was looked after by his mother and concentrated on painting. All his pictures are named after Beatles lyrics, from songs such as The Fool on the Hill and You Won't See Me.
Herpel had no visitors to his room for 29 years. When outdoors, he preserved his silence by blocking out sounds. Herpel now plans to concentrate on his artistic career. - (Reuters)