Discuss set in the aftermath of the fall of the berlin wall, stasiland, by anna funder, recreates a land gone wrong and attempts to explore the lasting influence that the. Arthur schnitzlers most popular book is dream story. It is about individuals who resisted the east german regime. He still emphatically holds his views, and she finds him quite ridiculous and closed minded. The wicked reality of communism has, over the past twentyfive years, been deliberately erased from western education and, more broadly, from the western mind. Stasiland presents the story of german reunification through a representation of personal experiences drawn from interviews and research undertaken by anna funder. The australian anna funder was working in television in berlin in the mid1990s when she became interested in the stasi. A wonderful book to read if you like history with a personal punch part mystery story, part portrayal of a lost history by the proverbial outsider, but above all lyrical, readable and eminently accessible and not in the least bit dry. What is the effect of funders first person narrative. Funder explores the daily chaos and harsh beauty of berlin, a place where some people are trying to. Funder wants to create portraits of people, east germans of whom there will be none left in a generation. And others who worked for its secret police, the stasi. Read stasiland stories from behind the berlin wall by anna funder available from rakuten kobo. We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below.
Germany recipients of the patriotic order of merit recipients of the banner of labor. Not just the activists or the famous writers page 144. She is caught and thus begins a series of imprisonment and interrogation. Berlin crisis and the berlin wall 19591961 21 terms. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
But in the east, koch and his classmates were told the enemy planes sprayed potato beetles over east german crops as they flew over, in order to spoil the harvest. Nov 24, 2010 anna funders conversations with the former stasi men for there were few women who worked for the secret police are usually tinged with the bizarre. Stories from behind the berlin wall by anna funder isbn. Dec 05, 2003 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. It tells the story of what it was like to work for the stasi. Set in the aftermath of the fall of the berlin wall, stasiland, by anna funder, recreates a land gone wrong and attempts to explore the lasting influence that the meticulous and pervasive secret police agency, the stasi had on its own citizens. There has been a revival of interest in sovietera east germany over the past decade or so.
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. Films such as goodbye lenin and the oscar winning the lives of others, and television series such as the criminally underrated deutschland 83 have explored what life was like for those living behind the wall. Stasiland is just that a series of vignettes derived from interviews with. Books by arthur schnitzler arthur schnitzler average rating 3. Jan, 2018 anna funders stasiland, written in 2002 but covering the authors journeys through the former east germany in 1996 and 2000, is a partial corrective to this erasure of memory. Psychological and physical suffering in 1984 and stasiland category. A number of them are unrepentant of their role in the former gdr. 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. Stories from behind the berlin wall book online at best prices in india on.
Interestingly, the wifes maiden name is on the door showing how reviled he is. The stasi, of course, were the east german secret police. But in the 11 years since its original publication, perhaps its creativenon. A work of literary journalism that deviates from the traditional modes of historiography, funder uses a first person narrative style to create a. 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, especially. Litcharts makes it easy to find quotes by chapter, character, and theme. Her first book, the internationally bestselling stasiland, won the 2004 samuel johnson prize and was published in twenty countries and translated into sixteen languages. 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. Schnitzler maintained that his show was truthful, and continued to support several gdr policies. 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. Anna funder is the australian author and narrator of stasiland. Annas early visit to west berlin left her wondering long and hard about what went on behind the wall i look at the box in her arms and know that you cannot destroy your past, nor what it does to you.
Stasiland ebook by anna funder 9780062077332 rakuten kobo. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. He fought with the nazis, but was captured by the british, who forced him to make propaganda broadcasts for the allied cause. A range of edited notes from students dr jennifer minter, english works notes most of the stasi operators were indoctrinated by the state about the virtues of socialism and were encouraged, by mielke, the most feared man in east germany to hang on to power at all costs. Stasiland characters stasiland, chapter and character overview. Annas early visit to west berlin left her wondering long and hard about what went on behind the wall. Tom hanks called it fascinating, entertaining, hilarious, horrifying and very important. The key themes and ideas of stasiland are developed as much by the structure of the text as they are by the description and dialogue. In order to understand the extent of the personal damage and despair suffered. Stasiland is a 2001 nonfiction novel by australian journalist 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.
Stories from behind the berlin wall kindle edition by funder, anna. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading stasiland. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. For anyone to understand a regime like the gdr, the stories of ordinary people must be told.
The ruling classes and social tastemakers in the west at the time that communism fell, and for decades before and since, had and have a lot of sympathy for. 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, especially, of life underthe iron fist of the stasi, east germanys brutal. Stasiland, anna funder shop online for books in australia. We see how the drive to create a new society not bedevilled by the iniquities that is, the inequalities of capitalism or imperialism as many of the stasi men call it resulted in the creation of an authoritarian society where freedom was minimal or. Feb 16, 2016 the key themes and ideas of stasiland are developed as much by the structure of the text as they are by the description and dialogue. Stasiland character quotes at caulfield grammar school. In order to understand the extent of the personal damage and despair suffered by people on a daily basis, funder interviews a range. Arthur schnitzler books list of books by author arthur. Schnitzler would retire to zeuthen, where he died of pneumonia on 20 september 2001. The spys the limit guardian first book award 2003 the. It describes how those who did so now come to terms, or do not, with their pasts. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Stasiland by anna funder is a book first published in 2003.
Stasiland demonstrates that great, originalreporting is still possible. Arthur schnitzler has 411 books on goodreads with 50382 ratings. 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. Some characters had made the adjustment to the new world order successfully. Arthur schnitzler schnitzler, arthur, 18621931 an online book about this author is available, as is a wikipedia article schnitzler, arthur, 18621931. 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. A contemporary classic, stasiland won the 2004 samuel johnson prize for best nonfiction in english. She wanted to know if east germans had been capable of individual acts of resistance but.
Some readers have criticised funders gonzo approach to the book. 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. 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. I found it interesting to read this book immediately after another nonfiction book, brenda. Stasiland quotes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. 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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Anna funders conversations with the former stasi men for there were few women who worked for the secret police are usually tinged with the bizarre. 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. Students read that section for five minutes in silence. Discuss set in the aftermath of the fall of the berlin wall, stasiland, by anna funder, recreates a land gone wrong and attempts to. Stasiland is a memoirstyle recollection of the author anna funders. Silly novels by lady novelists nonfiction literature the state of affairs. Discover book depositorys huge selection of arthur schnitzler books online. They highlight sentences relating to character that they find confusing, interesting or disturbing. The creators of sparknotes stasiland characters from litcharts. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required.
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. Anna is the author of the book, a journalist who traveled to germany in work interest. 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. Stories from behind the berlin wall enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Psychological and physical suffering in 1984 and stasiland. Funders story paints a picture of daily life in east berlin under the brutal watch of the stasi, the sectors secret police. Funders revelation of miriam and charlies story very personal.
The australian anna funder was working in television in berlin in the mid1990s when she became interested in the stasi the former east german. Both books are international bestsellers, published in over 24 countries. Aug 06, 2017 there has been a revival of interest in sovietera east germany over the past decade or so. Bertha garlan gutenberg text schnitzler, arthur, 18621931. 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. If these stories were the only ones funder recounted, the book would lack balance. The book, and the stories of the people she meets as she pieces together life in east berlin during the time of the wall, is gorgeous and flawed in the best way. Jun 07, 2003 stasiland by anna funder 304pp, granta. Anna funder is the author of the acclaimed all that i am, winner of the 2012 miles franklin literary award, among other awards. This 47page guide for stasiland by anna funder includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 28 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis.
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