She was the "prima inter pares" of the Café des Westens.  Labels generously distributed by critics still shed light on her person today. She is said to have been the contrasting figure to everything bourgeois, the muse and artist's mistress, and at the same time the professed Christian with a penchant for deeply felt mysticism. Anyone who wants to understand Hennings-Ball and her life's journey must accept this radical devotion to "acting" with all its facets. "Names Want Iron Chains" is a compilation of Emmy Henning's most representative poems and texts, which underline the uniqueness of the author.