Stasiland

Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

By: Anna Funder

Narrated by: Denica Fairman

East Germany may have been - until now - the most perfected surveillance state of all time.

In Stasiland, Anna Funder tells extraordinary stories of ordinary people who heroically resisted the communist dictatorship, and of those who worked for its vicious secret police, the Stasi.

She meets Miriam, who as a 16-year-old was accused of trying to start World War III. She visits the regime’s cartographer, a man obsessed to this day with the Berlin Wall, then gets drunk with the legendary “Mik Jegger” of the east, once declared by the authorities “no longer to exist.” And she finds spies and Stasi men, in hiding but defiant, still loyal to the regime as they lick their wounds and regroup, hoping for the next revolution.

Stasiland is a brilliant, timeless portrait of a Kafkaesque world, as gripping as any thriller. In a world of total surveillance, its celebration of human conscience and courage is as potent as ever.

©2020 Anna Funder (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Excellent Capture of Place and Time

May we never forget the stories of the survivors and victims of the evil GDR. The author conveys a very real portrayal of both the cruelty and real life experience of both the side of the conflict, including the echoes of the tragedy of those still affected by the regime and the purveyors of the stasi apparatus

Stick with the paper/Kindle versions.

This is a fantastic look at the role of the Stasi in individuals' lives in the DDR. Read it.

Yes, read it, don't listen to it. The narrator is fine when just reading straight English, but when struggling with German words--even common, "easy" words--or trying to do "characters" she is appallingly bad. I don't understand why the publishers would hire someone who can neither pronounce nor stick to any sort of consistent style for pronunciation of German words or names. She is inconsistent with either Anglicizing the pronunciation or very awkwardly attempting it in German. The character voices she attempts are all essentially the same, artificially lowered, almost mockingly dopey voice. The narrator was distracting from the content, and this book deserved much better.

Shocking True Tales of Thought Policing

In depth, highly personal stories of the damaging and enduring effects of fascism on German society. Poetically written and empathetically told.

A Great Achievement

This is a well researched and very well written contemporary history book. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Anna Funder knew she had only a short window before much of East Germany’s history would be forgotten, especially the individual stories. She went to work, spending much time in the former GDR and getting to know many people who lived the Stasi years, either as perpetrators or victims. She took the time not only to research the facts, but to get to know the people. The result is a collection of stories that have heart and are historically important. Listening to this book is getting immersed into a different world, Stasiland. The scenes are very well written making it a pleasure to follow even when the stories are sad. There is much sadness for sure, but also courage, humor and above all, hope. The narration on this audiobook is fantastic. I love the narrator’s accent and performance. What wonderful achievement. Highly recommended.

Moving account from the heart

A worthwhile and hard read/listen because the vignettes are told so caringly, and it is hard to imagine how humanity's inner life survives in such an concrete-hard word. At times moving and inspiring, others frustrating. Well