Stasiland [Paperback]

Anna Funder is an Australian who, somewhat aimlessly, finds herself in
Berlin in the 1990s. Working in the media she takes a professional interest in gathering stories about East German and its all-pervasive security apparatus - The Stasi. She visits museums filled with Stasi memorabilia, seeks interviews with former agents and victims. The book is well written and evocative, it paints a realistic picture of everyday cruelty of the former regime - a wife put to her wits end trying to bury her husband who died in custody, families pressured to spy on each other and on friends - Funder quotes statistics which reveal that there was one Stasi officer for every 63 East Germans; Hitler's Gestapo had one agent for every 2,000. The cases of the victims are heartbreaking, the effects on their personalities of the harassment, surveillance and torture they endured lasts beyond the reach of the old regime, through the supposed liberation.
She is quite effective on the attitude of today's German society to Ossies (former East Germans), most former West Germans (Wessies) now feel that "they were Germans who had Communism for forty years and went backwards, and all they want now is money to have big TV sets and holidays... It was an experiment and it failed". Ossies on the other hand feel an amount of resentment that they now live in a society which is so unequal and relatively unsafe. This resentment has spawned a cynical nostalgia for the old East Germany - Ostalgia. This outcome is astonishing to the outsider, but Funder's book carefully outlines how this has come to pass, since the optimism of the day's when the Berlin wall collapsed.
She excellently outlines revealing vignettes - the toilet minder, ex-East Berliner , who would like to travel, especially to visit China " to have a look at that Wall of theirs"; the former broadcaster, whose weekly propaganda program made him one of the most reviled figures of the Communist regime, who now rails against the reality TV show where people are locked into a house and observed via camera, their every move recorded - he calls it "Big Brozer" with unconscious irony- as a product of 'The Australian Television Tyrant' {Murdoch}.
She is less revealing when dealing with the ex-Stasi agents, whom she meets. They talk to her as an apparently neutral foreigner, but their description of the past is filled with minimization and evasion. Their bewilderment at the collapse of their entire belief system and social structure is their most deeply felt emotion.
The book strengths lie in the despair of the stories themselves, and the craft that Funder brings to their telling, the mixture of bewilderment, despair, comedy and banality with which she makes the past and present so real. That said the weaknesses lie in her intrusion of her own story into the tale and her attempts at analysis. Funder is the thread along which the story advances - the tales of her acquaintances, her journalistic assignments mingle in the narrative. For the most part this works, however it can be over-instrusive, in particular when includes some dream sequences.
As an outside in Germany, she fails on when using German self analysis - e.g. Tucholsky's observation that all Germans grovel in front of counters and aspire to sit behind them - is fine for a German to make, but smacks of intrusion into a family quarrel when used by an outsider. Occasionally the commentary will lapse into German exceptionalism - what is it about the Germans and their lack of self esteem that makes them co-operate with oppression and totalitarianism. Its seems to me that this is not too far from the views expressed in the book "Hitler's willing Executioners", and is equally fatuous. It is a myth that societies react selflessly in the face of coercive repression, the French faced it for four years in World War II, Eastern Europe for forty years. Funder's book would be better without these judgmental side tracks.

That being said, it's a wonderful read. There are heat breaking stories of peoples still living with the impact of their treatment by the Communist regime, stories of people still living in denial of the crimes that they have committed. Surprises about the compromises made by the current regime in terms of failing to pursue those crimes, both in a forlorn effort to forgive by forgetting, but also due to typical bureaucratic underfunding. Hugely revealing, and topical in the sense of reminding us that systems and regimes can make enormous mistakes, of historical importance, that questioning dissent is vital for societies and that individual morality must guides all functionaries within systems.

On my recent travels in Europe I found myself in Berlin - one of my favourite cities in the world. The visit unplanned, I was completely amazed by the history and beauty of the city and despite learning a lot about the city's history while I was there I wanted to better understand what went on there before the wall came down. A friend recommended "Stasiland" and so I grabbed a copy and voraciously devoured the book over the weekend. Funder provides an insight into the personal impact of the wall on various Germans while also giving the reader an understanding of the history of East and West Germany, especially Berlin. Highly recommended for anyone who has been to Germany or is planning to travel there, but really is a book that everyone should read to acquire a greater knowledge and understanding of this country and its often misrepresented people. A great read - interesting and doesn't feel to much like a history lesson.

I will keep this review brief. I was astounded by the detail and the way that Funder brought the GDR to life. As someone who has studied the GDR in an academic sense, I found the stories that she told very life like, haunting and the kind that will stick with you. The tales of ordinary folks, many of who wanted to be loyal, but found themselves at odds with the Stasi, was well thought out and well told. I thought it was brilliant to go track down the ex-Stasi officials and to interpose their thoughts. Her thesis that those in the West are trying to bury the GDR, and have not dealt with history seems right on. Her eye for detail and irony is very good. How the Stasi ended up bringing about their own downfall is quite insightful and the picture of bureaucratic fear and ineptitude. She raises many troubling questions about West Germany, and about the way in which information is now being destroyed to protect West Germans. Ultimately, she is a deft and skillful storyteller, and her subjects have awesome stories to tell.
The only thing which i did not like was the way that the author interposed herself randomly through the story. I found myself less interested in her reactions to the characters, but much more drawn to the people.
i think this book should be read by anyone who is travelling to/interested in Germany.