Nonfiction

Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

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  • Create Date：2021-05-11 11:54:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Anna Funder
  • ISBN：1847083358
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Summary

In 1989， the Berlin Wall fell; shortly afterwards the two Germanies reunited， and East Germany ceased to exist。 In a country where the headquarters of the secret police can become a museum literally overnight， and one in 50 East Germans were informing on their countrymen and women， there are a thousand stories just waiting to get out。 Anna Funder tells extraordinary tales from the underbelly of the former East Germany - she meets Miriam， who as a 16-year-old might have started World War III， visits the man who painted the line which became the Berlin Wall and gets drunk with the legendary 'Mik Jegger' of the East， once declared by the authorities to his face to 'no longer to exist'。 Written with wit and literary flair， Stasiland provides a rivetting insight into life behind the wall。

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Reviews

Laura ★☮☯ ，

Best book I've read this year！！ I really loved Funder's narrative and detailed description of the historical events。 It was not an objective historical book， devoid of emotion。 Funder's writing about the stories from different people from East Germany were raw and so moving。 5 stars Best book I've read this year！！ I really loved Funder's narrative and detailed description of the historical events。 It was not an objective historical book， devoid of emotion。 Funder's writing about the stories from different people from East Germany were raw and so moving。 5 stars 。。。more

Ameet Shah ，

Sweet and personal， it tells vignettes of life in East Germany。 It won't change your life but it does bring East Germany to life in a way that I have rarely seen。 Sweet and personal， it tells vignettes of life in East Germany。 It won't change your life but it does bring East Germany to life in a way that I have rarely seen。 。。。more

Graham Connors ，

It's not so much the history but the characters that stood out for me; the strength and resilience of the people who lived in the GDR through the years of communist rule is remarkable。 Just as remarkable is the fervent commitment of those who enforced the communist ideals。 No one ever thinks they are the bad guy but how these Stasi were able to do some of the things they did astounded me。 Recommended reading。 It's not so much the history but the characters that stood out for me; the strength and resilience of the people who lived in the GDR through the years of communist rule is remarkable。 Just as remarkable is the fervent commitment of those who enforced the communist ideals。 No one ever thinks they are the bad guy but how these Stasi were able to do some of the things they did astounded me。 Recommended reading。 。。。more

Antonella ，

Me resultó extremadamente conmovedor leer estas historias。 No son como las historias que te cuentan en la mayoría de los museos en Berlín， que suelen estar bastante "aguadas" en comparación a las que se presentan en este libro， por lo que me parece extremadamente necesaria la lectura del mismo （obvio si te interesa este tema） para poder tener un mayor panorama de lo que fue vivir en aquella época。 Me resultó extremadamente conmovedor leer estas historias。 No son como las historias que te cuentan en la mayoría de los museos en Berlín， que suelen estar bastante "aguadas" en comparación a las que se presentan en este libro， por lo que me parece extremadamente necesaria la lectura del mismo （obvio si te interesa este tema） para poder tener un mayor panorama de lo que fue vivir en aquella época。 。。。more

Belu ，

Probably the best book I've ever read。 Life-changing。 Probably the best book I've ever read。 Life-changing。 。。。more

The Humpo Show [ Richard ] ，

4。5An excellent book about what life was like for East Berliners during and after the Wall as well as what life has been like for Stasi men since their world changed in 1989。The stories were shocking， interesting and amazing in equal measure。 I enjoyed le Carre's 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold'， so it was good to hear about people who have attempted to cross the wall or helped to engineer escapes from East Berlin。Stasiland was also a great refresher of Cold War-era history and politics， but 4。5An excellent book about what life was like for East Berliners during and after the Wall as well as what life has been like for Stasi men since their world changed in 1989。The stories were shocking， interesting and amazing in equal measure。 I enjoyed le Carre's 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold'， so it was good to hear about people who have attempted to cross the wall or helped to engineer escapes from East Berlin。Stasiland was also a great refresher of Cold War-era history and politics， but with a more personal focus。I visited Berlin a few years ago， and having read this， I'd like to go back with a revised set of eyes。 。。。more

Katla Lárusdóttir ，

Góð en ég var samt frekar lengi að lesa hana。

Jo Birkett ，

Very easy listen given the subject matter， as awful stories of Stasi killing， torture， blackmail etc leavened with author's own story and life while gathering material。 You would think they'd choose a German speaker to read though。。。 Very easy listen given the subject matter， as awful stories of Stasi killing， torture， blackmail etc leavened with author's own story and life while gathering material。 You would think they'd choose a German speaker to read though。。。 。。。more

Hannahcox ，

Very interesting read - you forget how recent this was。 Really interesting stories of individuals who lived under the GDR in East Germany。 Would like to give it a second read at some point！

Collin Mickle ，

A powerful book。 So powerful that at times it's hard to read。 Funder is an excellent writer， but for the most part she avoids filling the pages with style。 Instead she gives center stage over to the stories of the people she's interviewing。 Some of them are almost impossible to get through: a young wife whose husband is disappeared， a teenager tossed into a jail cell， an ignored rape victim， a mother whose desperately sick infant is on the other side of the Wall。 Funder's book bears full witness A powerful book。 So powerful that at times it's hard to read。 Funder is an excellent writer， but for the most part she avoids filling the pages with style。 Instead she gives center stage over to the stories of the people she's interviewing。 Some of them are almost impossible to get through: a young wife whose husband is disappeared， a teenager tossed into a jail cell， an ignored rape victim， a mother whose desperately sick infant is on the other side of the Wall。 Funder's book bears full witness to them all， and to the evil -- banal， sometimes even stupid， but still profoundly evil -- that oppressed them and millions more while pretending it was all to pave the way to a worker's paradise。 The GDR is dead。 Long live its surviving victims。 。。。more

Julie ，

This read much of the time like a novel。 But it’s a nonfiction account of how the Stasi impacted the lives of East Germans the author met and interviewed。 Some experiences were truly horrific and others were strangely comical。 The whole Stasi apparatus and its function in service of the GDR makes for a fascinating and recommended read。

Eoin O'Callaghan ，

Very interesting history book， told through individual stories of people impacted by the East German regime rather than as a conventional historical narrative。 Very powerful and very moving。 The lengths to which the GDR went to spy on their own people， and essentially make every citizen an enemy are mind boggling， as well as the struggle of pretty much all citizens to move on after the wall came down is also very sad and affecting。

Dana ，

This book will stick with me for a while。I grew up in the former GDR and was 11 when The Wall came down。I loved how Anna Funder wrote about doing her research for this book and then connecting with the stories on a whole new level。 It really touched me to see how she went from "simply documenting" to truly understanding and being touched by what some of the people had to go through。The beginning of the book is a bit light hearted and really reminded me of how I first felt when the wall came down This book will stick with me for a while。I grew up in the former GDR and was 11 when The Wall came down。I loved how Anna Funder wrote about doing her research for this book and then connecting with the stories on a whole new level。 It really touched me to see how she went from "simply documenting" to truly understanding and being touched by what some of the people had to go through。The beginning of the book is a bit light hearted and really reminded me of how I first felt when the wall came down。 Once she starts interviewing former Stasi members it becomes sad and shocking。 It really made me remember my childhood and made me wonder how much all my family members had to endure。The magical thing about this book is that Anna Funder shows how different people deal with the new life。 Some finding a totally new purpose， some hanging on to old values， some still unsure of what their life would have been if they had made other choices。 Beautifully written！ Thank you so much for this book。 。。。more

Vidur Paliwal ，

Stasiland is one of the most conflicting non-fiction books I have read in recent years。 On the one hand， the book brings out some heartfelt stories from the lives of people behind the iron curtain。 It's a period of European history that I had minimum knowledge of。 The book provides good insights into the socialist reign in the German Democratic Republic （GDR）。 Sadly， the impact of the book is tempered by the clearly biased， one-sided style of writing。 This is not to discount or discredit the atr Stasiland is one of the most conflicting non-fiction books I have read in recent years。 On the one hand， the book brings out some heartfelt stories from the lives of people behind the iron curtain。 It's a period of European history that I had minimum knowledge of。 The book provides good insights into the socialist reign in the German Democratic Republic （GDR）。 Sadly， the impact of the book is tempered by the clearly biased， one-sided style of writing。 This is not to discount or discredit the atrocities committed by the Stasi in East Germany， but as a neutral author， Anna Funder has missed the opportunity to present the stories without forcing her own judgements and point of views。 Hence， I recommend this book for the stories in it and suggest ignoring the author's commentary。 。。。more

Harry ，

The main reason I purchased 'Stasiland' was in fact to help with my current A-Level History course， but I was pleasantly surprised by this book - Funder gives such a haunting， fascinating account of oppression in the German Democratic Republic， by combining the stories of ordinary citizens with the Stasi。 The main reason I purchased 'Stasiland' was in fact to help with my current A-Level History course， but I was pleasantly surprised by this book - Funder gives such a haunting， fascinating account of oppression in the German Democratic Republic， by combining the stories of ordinary citizens with the Stasi。 。。。more

Kate Vanderbraak ，

A dialectic look inside what life was like during and after the Berlin Wall。 Funder emphasizes the long-lasting pain tied to life before reunification and its influence on life after reunification。

Bea Metzler ，

I was born in Leipzig in 1984， I have a few memories of life there back when it was a city in the GDR。 I had conversations with family and friends over the years about their experiences living in the GDR， I watched “The life of others” but nothing has made it this clear to me as this book did。 I think it should be mandatory reading in schools in all of Germany now。 Whether you’re from the east or the west or not from Germany at all， read this book。

Sébastien ，

Well I don't know much about history so if I did this book would probably be a bit more interesting。 It is also a school so I am automatically not going to enjoy it。 Well I don't know much about history so if I did this book would probably be a bit more interesting。 It is also a school so I am automatically not going to enjoy it。 。。。more

Melika_ara ，

کتابی بود که از خوندنش واقعا لذت بردم ولی هم زمان خیلی تحت تاثیر قرار گرفتم。 خیلی وقت بود دلم میخواست در مورد تاریخ معاصر آلمان مطالعه کنم ولی این کتاب رو بدون هیچ برنامه قبلی و کاملا اتفاقی تو اپلیکیشن طاقچه پیدا کردم。با اینکه مختصر چیزهایی در مورد جمهوری دموکراتیک آلمان شنیده بودم ولی از خوندن خاطرات آدمای توی کتاب، از داستان فرارشون و از دست دادن هاشون واقعا شوکه شدم。 هیچوقت عمق فاجعه رو تا این حد درک نکرده بودم。 هرروز بعد از خوندن یک بخش از کتاب سعی میکردم به محله ها و خیابون های نام برده شد کتابی بود که از خوندنش واقعا لذت بردم ولی هم زمان خیلی تحت تاثیر قرار گرفتم。 خیلی وقت بود دلم میخواست در مورد تاریخ معاصر آلمان مطالعه کنم ولی این کتاب رو بدون هیچ برنامه قبلی و کاملا اتفاقی تو اپلیکیشن طاقچه پیدا کردم。با اینکه مختصر چیزهایی در مورد جمهوری دموکراتیک آلمان شنیده بودم ولی از خوندن خاطرات آدمای توی کتاب، از داستان فرارشون و از دست دادن هاشون واقعا شوکه شدم。 هیچوقت عمق فاجعه رو تا این حد درک نکرده بودم。 هرروز بعد از خوندن یک بخش از کتاب سعی میکردم به محله ها و خیابون های نام برده شده تو کتاب سر بزنم و از زاویه دید کتاب نگاهشون کنم。 کتاب در عین سادگی و خاطره محور بودنش اطلاعات خوبی در مورد DDR و اشتازی بهم داد ولی حتما و قطعا خوندن کتاب های بیشتری در مورد آلمان و بخصوص برلین رو در برنامه م قرار میدم。پ ن: شاید کتاب از نظر نویسندگی عالی نباشه و شاید برای همه جالب نباشه ولی برای کسی که به تاریخ آلمان علاقمنده میتونه گزینه ی خیلی خوبی باشه。 。。。more

EunSeong ，

It took me awhile to get into this book， to be honest。 It wasn't a book I chose， but a book that was selected for a book club I'm a part of。 I found the writing a little bit disjointed at times， especially when the author moved from reminiscing about some memory in the past to the sudden dialogue of characters happening in the moment of the story。 But midway through， the individual tales started to get interesting， and by the end I began to appreciate and value the work Funder did in trying to f It took me awhile to get into this book， to be honest。 It wasn't a book I chose， but a book that was selected for a book club I'm a part of。 I found the writing a little bit disjointed at times， especially when the author moved from reminiscing about some memory in the past to the sudden dialogue of characters happening in the moment of the story。 But midway through， the individual tales started to get interesting， and by the end I began to appreciate and value the work Funder did in trying to find， interview， and tell the stories of everyday citizens living under a dictatorship。 It opens a window into their world， and makes you empathise with what had happened to those living in East Germany at the time。 The silent， invisible horrors of day-to-day life， the black humour that can only arise from the ludicrousness of a dictatorship's rule， the emotional and physical scars that are still left today， are all a reminder that these things are still happening， and an individual's story is important to keep alive instead of burying it underground in hopes it will never happen again。 Not all of the people Funder meets are sympathetic characters， as she tries to interview former Stasi members as well。 Including them gave a varied and fuller view of the horrors of a police state， and how human beings can easily justify their actions。 Funder writes an important book that preserves the human spirit in struggle， and what the tragedy in doing the right thing might bring。 。。。more

Jacqueline ，

THIS is the reason I love non-fiction。 Not only are the stories shared absolutely spellbinding in their absurdity and heartbreak， but the way Funder writes with such incredible and colourful detail makes the story really come alive。 It was interesting to me how one man said that you have to get over the "what ifs" in order to move on in a meaningful way。 The world of the Stasi and the GDR is one full of "what ifs" - the secrecy and suspicion make it hard to know what's the truth （what was the re THIS is the reason I love non-fiction。 Not only are the stories shared absolutely spellbinding in their absurdity and heartbreak， but the way Funder writes with such incredible and colourful detail makes the story really come alive。 It was interesting to me how one man said that you have to get over the "what ifs" in order to move on in a meaningful way。 The world of the Stasi and the GDR is one full of "what ifs" - the secrecy and suspicion make it hard to know what's the truth （what was the real reason for a relative's death， or a losing a job etc。？） leaving a lot of people without closure as the world appears to move on。 Reading this has sparked some Fernweh in me as I would love to see how Germany， thirty years on， deals with these "what ifs"。 。。。more

Joseph Schneider ，

An absolute knockout。 Funder's prose is electric， devastating， as precise as a scalpel。 A war of attrition waged by a government against its own people， with stories from both sides。 A particularly dark chapter of a particularly dark century。 An absolute knockout。 Funder's prose is electric， devastating， as precise as a scalpel。 A war of attrition waged by a government against its own people， with stories from both sides。 A particularly dark chapter of a particularly dark century。 。。。more

Gianluca Ellena ，

Non metto mai meno di tre stelle。 Questo libro per la verità ancorché ben scritto， lo trovo etnocentrico。 Sarà questo il motivo per cui 23 editori tedeschi lo hanno rifiutato？ Ripeto， scritto e narrato bene， l'autrice ha raccontato storie molto interessanti e le ha narrate con grande efficacia ma il romanzo， nel suo complesso， non mi ha soddisfatto。 Mi è sembrata una lettura storica da una prospettiva lontana。 Un po' come gli inglesi quando giudicavano l'Europa del sud durante il Grand Tour。 Non metto mai meno di tre stelle。 Questo libro per la verità ancorché ben scritto， lo trovo etnocentrico。 Sarà questo il motivo per cui 23 editori tedeschi lo hanno rifiutato？ Ripeto， scritto e narrato bene， l'autrice ha raccontato storie molto interessanti e le ha narrate con grande efficacia ma il romanzo， nel suo complesso， non mi ha soddisfatto。 Mi è sembrata una lettura storica da una prospettiva lontana。 Un po' come gli inglesi quando giudicavano l'Europa del sud durante il Grand Tour。 。。。more

Catherine ，

I loved the casualness of this book。In 1997， the author， from Melbourne， was a writer in residence at the Australia Center in Potsdam （a twenty-minute train ride to Berlin）。 Her first-hand account of researching and writing this gives the reader a feel for modern-day and postwar East Berlin。 We see those times through her interviews of men who worked for the Stasi （East German Secret Police） and people who lived through that era。 The reader gets a good sense of the trauma individuals experienced I loved the casualness of this book。In 1997， the author， from Melbourne， was a writer in residence at the Australia Center in Potsdam （a twenty-minute train ride to Berlin）。 Her first-hand account of researching and writing this gives the reader a feel for modern-day and postwar East Berlin。 We see those times through her interviews of men who worked for the Stasi （East German Secret Police） and people who lived through that era。 The reader gets a good sense of the trauma individuals experienced living under the corrupt and morally draining dictatorship of that time， and how some are still experiencing repercussions of that trauma。 It also informs us of the similar and different reasons each former Secret Policeman had for serving。 This is not a hard-core history of the Stasi but an informative experiential account。 I listened to this on Audible， read by Denica Fairman。 I found her reading clear and enjoyable。 。。。more

Sytze ，

"Some people are comfortable talking about their lives， as if they can make sense of the progression of random events that made them what they are。"I know little about the former GDR - only what has been discussed in my history classes and German lessons in secondary school。 Before reading this book， I did not think of the GDR as I would think of any other totalitarian state， Nazi Germany or Stalin's USSR。 For some reason， the GDR was - in my mind - a quirky， peculiar nation led by a foreign ide "Some people are comfortable talking about their lives， as if they can make sense of the progression of random events that made them what they are。"I know little about the former GDR - only what has been discussed in my history classes and German lessons in secondary school。 Before reading this book， I did not think of the GDR as I would think of any other totalitarian state， Nazi Germany or Stalin's USSR。 For some reason， the GDR was - in my mind - a quirky， peculiar nation led by a foreign ideology， but in a nostalgic， almost charming way。 This book does away with that image。 It tells the horrors of the GDR - Stasiland - from the perspective of both the victims and perpetrators （even though the latter might not see themselves as such）。 It's a grim reminder how quickly the world can change， and that we should be wary of this。 。。。more

Matt Ely ，

A genre mix， highlighting stories of people who survived （or didn't） many echelons of life in East Germany。 It's not quite a memoir， although the author includes descriptions of how she found her stories and why she's the one telling them。 It's not quite biography， as it's impossible to separate the figures profiled from the author's act of observation。 It's history， but personal history。 It may inform the reader on what made the country distinct and offer context about some key figures， but man A genre mix， highlighting stories of people who survived （or didn't） many echelons of life in East Germany。 It's not quite a memoir， although the author includes descriptions of how she found her stories and why she's the one telling them。 It's not quite biography， as it's impossible to separate the figures profiled from the author's act of observation。 It's history， but personal history。 It may inform the reader on what made the country distinct and offer context about some key figures， but many questions will remain unanswered。 What it does do is give a sense of the scope of feeling that people felt at many levels of society。 How did those in power feel？ How did the independent outsiders feel？ How did the persecuted feel？ It doesn't tell every story， but it tells enough of them to highlight the deep strangeness of the 40 years of that state， particularly in a time where it seemed that much of the country was focused on pretending that none of it occurred。 The structure of small stories told within the author's own story keeps the narrative moving and the reader engaged。 If you've ever wondered about that strange， temporary country， this is a good place to start。 。。。more

Mashrafi ，

Stasiland is quite a simple book to read and it definitely is great for people who enjoy narratives。 As someone who likes to dwell more into the scholarly side of things， I found this book kind of underwhelming。 From what I understand， this book was the result of Anna Funder's extended stay in Germany where she spoke to people who lived through the late GDR。 It is this particular setting that can sometimes mislead the reader and get a wrong impression of the GDR。 I am by NO means defending what Stasiland is quite a simple book to read and it definitely is great for people who enjoy narratives。 As someone who likes to dwell more into the scholarly side of things， I found this book kind of underwhelming。 From what I understand， this book was the result of Anna Funder's extended stay in Germany where she spoke to people who lived through the late GDR。 It is this particular setting that can sometimes mislead the reader and get a wrong impression of the GDR。 I am by NO means defending what happened at the GDR but Funder should have definitely supplemented the stories with historical facts and data。Perhaps I am being a bit too critical， after all this book is called STORIES from Behind the Berlin Wall。 However， even if you look at it from a narrative perspective it is still underwhelming。 The stories are largely limited and the book is very small。 Most of the pages are filled up with Funder's own thoughts and opinions about things that are not relevant to the Berlin Wall itself。 For instance， she muses about Beer culture or complains about the facial expressions of passersby。 Regardless， I enjoyed this book and it was a good supplement to my own indentures into the GDR。 I feel as though the next time I read something more scholarly and full of historical data， I will remember the emotions of the people who lived through them instead of just peering over abstract figures that have no emotional substance。 。。。more

Arild Nygaard ，

A very well written book。 The author builds the whole narrative around her own interactions with the people who either suffered under Stasi or were a part of the system。 You get to hear both sides of the story， and it's all brilliantly told。 Very much enjoyed this read。 A very well written book。 The author builds the whole narrative around her own interactions with the people who either suffered under Stasi or were a part of the system。 You get to hear both sides of the story， and it's all brilliantly told。 Very much enjoyed this read。 。。。more

Nisso Bucay ，

Excellent （and still relevant and timely） narrative nonfiction The book is a very good description of life under a regime like the one reflected in Orwell’s 1984。 The recent history of Central Europe under Orban in Hungary and Law and Justice in Poland （and even the events leading to Jan。 6 in America） indicate that life under the Stasi has relevant lessons for today

Marie ，

4。5 Stars。 Fascinating read about the people affected by the stifling world of living under the Stasi of East Germany。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0