stasiland: stories from behind the berlin wall. anna funder

Stasiland by Anna Funder is a book first published in 2003. It is about individuals who resisted the East German regime. And others who worked for its secret police, the Stasi. It tells the story of what it was like to work for the Stasi. It describes how those who did so now come to terms, or do not, with their pasts. She used classified ads to reach former members of the Stasi and anti-Stasi organizations and interviewed them. She describes these interviews in a series of vignettes. My main take-away from this book is that former Stasi operatives or informers aren't giving much away. Funder doesn't seem to be able to avoid writing herself into an account of a period of history that has nothing to do with her. She spends half of the book talking about her own hangovers, her apartment, food she cooks herself, even a dream she has. She could have omitted these sections and more put into dealing with first-hand accounts of life in the East German regime . These are the most fascinating, touching and enjoyable parts of the book. Taken with a pinch of salt, Stasiland is a frustrating insight into a totalitarian regime.

This was a 'follow up' as having read the similar publication "Stasi State or Socialist Paradise - the GDR & what became of it" I was not satisfied, as my review of that book makes clear. I wanted to learn more about life within the GDR, a little of which I had experienced, including my wife who was from a family divided by the 'Iron curtain'. 'Stasiland' is just that - a series of vignettes derived from interviews with residents & former officials of the GDR. The author is not German, which may or may not be relevant, but is not as overtly biased as the other publication above, which is a paean of praise for socialism from UK 'left-wingers'. So for me "Stasiland" is closer to my image & experiences of GDR life. Again, I recommend the German film "Bornholmer Strasse" a post unification tragic-comedy of how the border gate was opened in November 1989. This film gives the real feeling of the culture & atmosphere of the time. The author's style is more 'jerky' than flowing prose, but it fits well into the situations described. Highly recommended - read this one in preference to the the other. George Orwell's 1984 was oh so close to the mark!

The phenomenon of East Germany is in need of explanation. One would like to understand why it came into its actual form; what life in the GDR was like; and above all, how it is that so many of its former citizens feel nostalgia for it. This book touches on such questions but does not really answer them. "Stasiland" is not a history, but rather a piece of journalism. In style it resembles a long New Yorker article, and it is also something like a travel book, in which an author travels to an exotic land and reveals its peculiarities. Also regrettably familiar is a style of writing in which the author's personal experiences and attitudes compete with the actual subject matter. One can skip about half of this book without missing very much. "Stasiland" consists of anecdotes obtained by the author through interviews with former Stasi agents and former residents of the GDR. A great drawback of this approach is that depends on just which interviewees the author happened to meet--which in this case appears to have been more or less at random. Indeed, many interesting observations do turn up in these interviews, which makes the book--with the aforementioned skipping--an entertaining read, and entitles it to the three stars I have given. But one will find little about the GDR that isn't already well known, and if one wants a serious understanding, one had better look elsewhere. An excellent source is "The Ideal World of Dictatorship," by Stefan Wolle.

Wow. What and incredibly relevant and important read for today’s toxic political climate. I was woefully undereducated about bost-Hitler Germany, the Berlin Wall, and the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Funder writes with spellbinding clarity as she relates the stories of former Stasi (GDR secret police) agents and citizens persecuted under the regime. Their accounts range from horrific and devastating to mind-blowingly absurd, a bleak tapestry of an environment that at times felt all too close to what I see in America today. This is a must read for everyone, but is especially perfect for fiction lovers who want to dip their toes into non fiction as it is written in a very story-oriented fashion. If you are under-educated in the things that have come before which are informing our times, please read this one. Please please please.

As I lived with my family in the "socialist paradise" of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) until 1950, when we had to escape, I found this book quite enthralling if not very uncomfortable at times. My father was a classical musician and teacher at a well-known Conservatory of Music and in the attached symphony orchestra through those years. He was arrested for cracking a joke about the president. On his parole we used various means to escape into West Germany, while Dad went via Berlin and the US refugee processing facility in Berlin. Thank God, because we have been able to enjoy a wonderful life in New Zealand, as opposed to friends and relations left behind.