Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

Stasiland by Anna Funder is a book first published in 2003. It is about individuals who resisted the East German regime. And others who worked for its secret police, the Stasi. It tells the story of what it was like to work for the Stasi. It describes how those who did so now come to terms, or do not, with their pasts.

She used classified ads to reach former members of the Stasi and anti-Stasi organizations and interviewed them. She describes these interviews in a series of vignettes.

My main take-away from this book is that former Stasi operatives or informers aren't giving much away. Funder doesn't seem to be able to avoid writing herself into an account of a period of history that has nothing to do with her. She spends half of the book talking about her own hangovers, her apartment, food she cooks herself, even a dream she has. She could have omitted these sections and more put into dealing with first-hand accounts of life in the East German regime . These are the most fascinating, touching and enjoyable parts of the book.

Taken with a pinch of salt, Stasiland is a frustrating insight into a totalitarian regime.