Essay by malcolm knox stasiland is one of the finest works of journalism produced anywhere in the world over the past quarter century, all the more impressive in that its author, anna funder, was acting as an intrepid amateur, rather than a professional reporter, when she. Are there similarities in the things that motivate them. Quotes flashcards from emily sagoljs class online, or in brainscapes iphone or android app. In thetradition of frederick taylors the berlin wall andphilip gourevitchs wewish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families, funders stasiland isa masterpiece of investigative reporting, written with novelistic vividness andthe compelling intensity of a universal, reallife story. Buy a discounted audible edition of stasiland audio cd from australias leading online bookstore. Stories from behind the berlin wall, which has been published in twenty countries and translated into sixteen languages. Erich mielke was the minister for state security, and one of the most influential figures in making east germany the rigorous police state that it was. It tells the stories of those who resisted and engaged in what has been called the most perfected surveillance state of all time.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Book of clouds is a haunting, masterfully wrought debut novel about a young woman adrift in berlin, where a string of fateful encounters leads to romance, violence, and revelation. The stasiland quotes below are all either spoken by hagen koch or refer to hagen koch. Chaptercharacter summaries flashcards from emily sagoljs class online, or in brainscapes iphone or android app. Hagen koch was instructed to leave his wife because she was a negative influence and someone who could not be trusted. We meet hagen koch, once a true believer due to his upbringing. Stories from behind the berlin wall by anna funderbuy.
Stasiland, stories from behind the berlin wall audio book. The character of hagen koch in stasiland from litcharts. There, she decided to study the stasi and the people who were affected by the stasi and she began interviewing people who had connection with the stasi or people who once worked for them. Stories from behind the berlin wall, is a nonfiction account of life in what was then east germany, her more recent work, all that i am, is a novel set. Stasiland by aussie author one of the main things that kept it alive for that length of time apart from the berlin wall was the ministerium fur staatssicherheit or stasi as it was commonly known. We are committed to providing you with reliable and efficient service at all times. In stasiland, anna funder recounts the horrors faced by the east german citizens under the control of the german secret police known as the stasi. The s tasi is an internal army 5 hagen koch, general honeckers personal cartographer. In august 1961, a fresh stasi recruit named hagen koch walked the. Frau paul now benefits a company that advocate the compensation of those maltreated by the program. Giles macdonogh is gripped by personal histories of stasi rule in anna funders stasiland sat 7 jun 2003 09. Jun 07, 2003 stasiland by anna funder 304pp, granta.
Reuters it was an ordinary summer day, koch recalled in anna funders book, stasiland. It tells the story of what it was like to work for the stasi, and describes how those who did so now come to terms, or do not, with their pasts. Julia behrend is the owner of the apartment where anna funder stays during her time in berlin. Hagen koch began working for the stasi, the east german ministry for state security, or ministerium fur staatssicherheit at a young age. When hagen koch, general honeckers personal cartographer, sketched the outline of the berlin wall in 1961, he was redrawing the limits of the free world. Frau paul is another woman to whom anna funder speaks during her time in berlin in the 1990s. She volunteers at the museum set up in the former hohenshonhausen prison, where she was incarcerated in the 1960s for helping students escape east berlin. Stasiland demonstrates that great, originalreporting is still possible. Simply brit we have dispatched from our uk depository. Paul witnessed the rise of the east german state following the fall of the third reich, and in 1961, the same year that the berlin wall was built, she gave birth to a child named torsten. She reunites with hagen koch at a gallery, and he takes her on his excursion, enlightening visitors on the eastern side of the wall surface. Get the entire stasiland litchart as a printable pdf.
In 2004 stasiland won the bbc samuel johnson prize, the most prestigious nonfiction award in the united kingdom. Buy stasiland large type large print edition by funder, anna isbn. Funder explores the daily chaos and harsh beauty of berlin, a place where some people are trying to. Hagen koch is the cartographer who fixed a limit where the berlin wall surface would be developed. People here talk of the mauer im kopf or the wall in the head. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. In defiance, he takes a plate congratulating his unit on their work. Her first book, the internationally bestselling stasiland, won the 2004 samuel johnson prize and was published in twenty countries and translated into sixteen languages. It brought urgent news of what had happened behind the wall. The stasi used every method both legal and illegal to try and keep the people subdued including an army of informers who would track your every move.
The character of frau paul in stasiland from litcharts. Although funder was not publishing for news media, stasiland contains everything for which journalists strive. In august 1961, as a stasi cartographer, koch was responsible for painting the white line on the asphalt that marked the eastwest border at checkpoint charlie, along which the demarcation was to run. Stasiland, by anna funder, originally published in 2002, is the true account of life in east germany during the communist regime, from 1949 to 1990. Ships with premium postal service within 24 hours to usa from the uk with delivery time of 7 10 days or less. Get everything you need to know about hagen koch in stasiland.
But they show that there are other aspects of humanity that are enduring other than brutality. Stasi agent left his mark on berlin the sydney morning. Read stasiland stories from behind the berlin wall by anna funder available from rakuten kobo. Discuss the symbolism of hagen kochs drawing of the line. Anna funders two books are different, yet bear some similarities. Stasiland characters stasiland, chapter and character overview.
Torsten was rushed to a west berlin hospital, and paul was separated from her baby for years. Hagen koch, for example, whose council flat is now a museum to the old regime, has covered the walls with mementoes, such as a dress uniform. In a country where the headquarters of the secret police can become a museum literally overnight and in which one in fifty east germans were informing on their fellow citizens, there are thousands of captivating stories. Stasiland by anna funder is a book first published in 2003 about individuals who resisted the east german regime, and others who worked for its secret police, the stasi. The australian anna funder was working in television in berlin in the mid1990s when she became interested in the stasi the former east german. The generic status of anna funders stasiland 2002 is uncertain, but it is clear from the opening pages that the author conceptualizes her project as an act of memory. Stasiland by anna funder overdrive rakuten overdrive. True stories from behind the berlin wall edition 1. If these stories were the only ones funder recounted, the book would lack balance. Stasiland is a nonfiction text written by anna funder and follows the personal recounts and experiences of those who lived throughout the gdr prior to. Stasiland 7 historical issues note stasiland is about real historical people who lived during a particular period of time the communist era of east germany the german democratic republic between 1949 and 1989 and. Booktopia has stasiland, stories from behind the berlin wall audio book by anna funder.
Claire tomalin, guardian books ofthe year annafunder delivers a prizewinning and powerfully rendered account of theresistance against east germanys communist dictatorship in these harrowing,personal tales of life behind the iron curtainand. Discuss how funder uses symbols to explore key themes in stasiland. The australian anna funder was working in television in berlin in the mid1990s when she became interested in the stasi. Stasiland audiobook anna funder stories from behind the. Stasiland, anna funder shop online for books in australia. Funder explores the daily chaos and harsh beauty of berlin, a place where some people are trying to remember, and others just as hard to forget. Funders story is a personal and passionate exploration of germanys stasi epoch. Hagen resigns from the army when he is not allowed to attend his fathers funeral as a western relative is attending. Many of these men think back to the gdr with nostalgia and little to none remorse. Pdf the generic status of anna funders stasiland 2002 is uncertain. Stories from behind the berlin wall from the worlds largest community of readers. In stasiland, winner of the 2004 samuel johnson prize, anna funder tells extraordinary tales from the underbelly of the former east germany, a country where the headquarters of the secret police can become a museum literally overnight, and one in fifty east germans were informing on. Overnight, a fence filled in the line, and then bricks were piled on top of it, separating neighbours and family members on either side.
Stasiland presents the story of german reunification through a representation of personal experiences drawn from interviews and research undertaken by anna funder. Anna is the author of the book, a journalist who traveled to germany in work interest. Funder after that consults with frau paul, who was separated from her kid because he called for clinical attention in west germany, and that numerous times aimed to escape to see him. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
In the context of the fall of communism, and with a focus on the role of the stasi in the lives of east germans, funder confronts the reader with characters traumatised by the past and dislocated in the. Stasiland is a lyrical, at times funny account of the courage some people found to withstand the dictatorship, and the consequences for those who collaborated. Stasiland ebook by anna funder 9780062077332 rakuten kobo. The character of hagen koch in stasiland from litcharts the. In august, 1961, 21yearold hagen koch drew a line in red paint across the middle of berlin. In stasiland australian expatriate anna funder recounts her experiences. The figure whose story is given in most detail, perhaps because he is the most sympathetic, is hagen koch, who as a fresh stasi recruit walked the streets of berlin in 1961, marking out what would be the route of the wall, and who now attempts to preserve its history. In order to understand the extent of the personal damage and despair suffered. She was placed in solitary confinement for a month no calls, lawyers, books, newspapers or visits.
Insight text guide ruth thomas stasiland insight text guide has highly visual character map with notes on each character and their relationships. Although this is his first book, funder writes with skill and. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. A readers introduction to stasiland on the night of sunday 12 august 1961 the east german army rolled out barbed wire along the streets bordering the eastern sector, and stationed sentries at regular intervals. Well written, partly detectivelike narrative, featuring the people anna funder interviewed who had experienced life in east germany under the eye of the stasi, the secret police, and their hundreds upon hundreds of informers, both those who ended up caught in their net and imprisoned, those who simply led their lives, and many stasis themselves. Their determinedness to get it back, even years later, shows the smallmindedness of the party.
Stasiland discussion questions wednesday book club. In contrast to most of the stasi men, hagen koch, the man who drew the. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Stasiland characters from litcharts the creators of. Stasiland is a nonfiction text written by anna funder and follows the personal recounts and experiences of those who lived throughout the gdr prior to the fall of the berlin wall. Kochs cartography was to change the course of life for an entire generation of germans. Stasiland is a lyrical, at times funny account of the courage some people found to withstand the communist dictatorship, and the consequences for those who collaborated.
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