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Stasiland cover art

Stasiland

By: Anna Funder
Narrated by: Denica Fairman
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Publisher's Summary

Anna Funder’s Samuel Johnson Prize-winning Stasiland is an Australian classic, the definitive account of tyranny and resistance in the former East Germany.

In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell; shortly afterwards the two Germanies reunited and East Germany ceased to exist.

Anna Funder’s best-selling Stasiland brings us extraordinary tales of real lives in the former East Germany. She meets Miriam, who tried to escape to West Berlin as a 16-year-old; 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 - ‘no longer to exist’. And she meets the Stasi men themselves, still proud of their surveillance methods. Funder’s powerful account of that brutal world has become a contemporary classic.

©2002 Anna Funder (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic Reviews

"Funder is a superb interviewer...she truly excels in the rendering of her sessions with former Stasi employees." (Sunday Times)

What listeners say about Stasiland

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I learnt so much

Fascinating. It’s easy to forget this all existed and in my lifetime too. It’s good to learn and be reminded from a real life experience point of view.

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Stasi Brilliant

The East Germany we all grew up with brilliantly laid bare with progressive anecdotes from all walks

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Not only a good read - an important read

I feel this is one of those books that everyone should read. it is really well written. The author makes it feel personal. The collected stories of what happened to people living in East Berlin before the wall came down and how those experiences impacted them should not be swept aside. If we don't want history to repeat, then we, and more so, the victims of the Stasi, need to know and remember what actually happened. The narration is excellent.

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Could not stop listening to this captivating account of the peoples lives under communism

Anna has interviewed and brought to life the personal stories of peoples lives who lived in East Germany whilst it was a communist state , the German Democratic Republic and where their lives are now. I found it utterly captivating and many times I listened in disbelief the torment the state inflicted on individuals. Astonishing as well was those who to this day worked for the state and long for the old days.. still fanatical .
The stories are beautifully told and superbly narrated.
It seems so relevant now as we grapple with China . It’s made me think of the State controlling The individual and how sinister this can become .
Well done Anna .. a wonderful book , I absolutely loved it. Thank you .

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Top notch

I enjoyed this book so much for the narrative of the non-fiction content and the subject matter. Such an excellent story/history telling.

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Being W German by birth this book touched me deeply.

Well written with a great sense of humour about the hideous Germaness on display in how the GDR operated. Anna Funder goes deeply into the petty cruelty humans are capable of but never loses a sense of compassion for victims and alao for the perpetrators.

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so many lessons in one book

Stasiland was written very much like a personal journey by the researcher. very accessible dark and interesting so much casts shadows on the behaviour we observe today the cost of an official fiction perhaps.

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Non-fiction with intensity of fiction

Fascinating insights into life in the former East Germany. What bizarre life situations the average person had to endure. At times I had to remind myself this is non-fiction and not fiction. Great performance also.

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Fantastic book, well read

Enjoyed this one, powerful stories from a time in history we shouldn’t forget. What we are capable of doing to each other is truly shocking.

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Excellent book

Great story and good honest view into the real world of the GDR post 1989

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.