Stasiland

WINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONIn this classic work, Funder brings us the extraordinary stories of those who lived in East Germany. She meets Miriam, condemned as an enemy of the state at sixteen, hears the heartbreaking story of Frau Paul, who was separated from her young baby by 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'. And she meets the Stasi themselves - men who spied on their families and friends - who are still loyal to the vanished regime and longing for the return of Communism.Stasiland is a gripping portrait of the horror and the absurdities of state oppression. In a world of total surveillance, its celebration of resilience and resistance is as potent as ever. 'Meticulous and compassionate... a heroic act of listening' London Review of Books

These rigorously researched, tenderly told stories of life inside East Germany won the Samuel Johnson prize a decade ago... Funder illuminates her subjects with humanity... remarkable investigative journalism, Anna Funder's Stasiland demonstrates that great, original reporting is still possible. She found her subject in East Germany, went for it bravely and delivers the goods in a heartbreaking, beautifully written book. A classic for sure, A brilliant and necessary book about oppression and history ... Here is someone who knows how to tell the truth, Superb... Funder skilfully deploys fictional techniques to make the material jump off the page: crafted scenes with their own story-arcs, naturalistic dialogue, fully-realised characters with their own plotlines... Vividly conveyed [with] flashes of humour too, A journey into the bizarre, scary, secret history of the former East Germany that is both relevant and riveting

Anna Funder was born in Melbourne in 1966. She has worked as an international lawyer and a radio and television producer. In 1997 she was writer-in-residence at the Australia Centre in Potsdam. She lives in Sydney with her husband and family.