She was tricked into admitting what she did and then released to await her trial chapter 3. Berlin officials confirmed a report in fridays kurier newspaper that mielke had died in a nursing home earlier in the week. According to author donald rayfield, stalin, yezhov, and beria distrusted. Funder speaks with a woman named miriam weber, who tried and failed to sneak out of east germany when she was still a teenager. The wicked reality of communism has, over the past twentyfive years, been deliberately erased from western education and, more broadly, from the western mind. Does this answer the question of how the stasi kept control. Nowhere is this ignorance more powerfully conveyed than in the words of the stasis geriatric leader, erich mielke, in his first and only address to the parliament. Annas stasiland tells true stories of people who heroically resisted the communist dictatorship of east germany, and of people who worked for the stasi. Chapter 6 page 56 mielke was an invisible man, but honeckers picture was everywhere. Finally id recommend two books already listed here. Egon krenz 1989, egon krenz and schabowski 2014, egon krenz 2014, egon krenz today, egon krenz interview, egon krenz 2017, egon krenz heute, egon krenz adalah, egon krenz and schabowski 2014, egon krenz adalah, egon krenz adresse, egon krenz ansprache, egon krenz amazon, egon krenz aktuelle kamera, egon krenz autogramm, egon krenz antrittsrede, egon krenz alter, egon krenz am deich 1, egon. Funder explores the daily chaos and harsh beauty of berlin, a place where some people are trying to.
Anna funder tells extraordinary tales from the underbelly of. She remembers that the muchdreaded stasi chief erich mielke even. Stasiland study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Unlike many books on dissidence and resistance in the former soviet bloc, stasiland spends as much time talking to perpetrators as sufferers.
What are some good books to read on the stasi, the kgb. In that sense, walter ulbricht or erich honecker ulbrichts successor as the partys secretarygeneral and head of state and secret police chief erich mielke can justifiably be compared to hitler and himmler, respectively. Thirty years after the fall of the berlin wall, the author. Arrest warrants were issued for honecker and mielke. On the stasi trail in berlin tam eastley traces the ghosts of erich mielke, head of east germanys notorious secret police, and visits the newly renovated stasi museum this blog first appeared on. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on anna funders stasiland. Stasi eldredge, stasi eldredge books, stasi east germany, stasi eldredge quotes, stasi eldredge becoming myself, stasi esper, stasi east germany. Stories from behind the berlin wall, which has been published in twenty countries and translated into sixteen languages. The problem if it is one with reading history, is that it can get very technical and makes for a heavy read, this however is beautifully written and a triumph in.
Mielke kept tabs on thousands of germans, and after the collapse of the government, germans raided his offices in search of their unauthorized biographies. Alison lewis, age funders portraits are by turns funny, heartbreaking. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. Zaisser tried to depose sed general secretary walter ulbricht after the june 1953 uprising, but was instead removed by ulbricht and replaced with ernst wollweber thereafter. Mielke kept tabs on thousands of germans, and after the collapse of the government, germans raided his offices. Erich mielke, who headed the former east germanys secret police, the stasi, for three decades, has died in berlin at the age of 92. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Top secret is a quick read, a great discussion piece, illuminating the functions of a surveillance state. The character of erich mielke in stasiland from litcharts the.
The generic status of anna funders stasiland 2002 is uncertain, but it is clear from the opening pages that the author conceptualizes her project as an act of memory. I put myself out for you mielkes unique brand of love transformed east germany into. Funder explores the daily chaos and harsh beauty of berlin, a place where some people are trying to remember, and others just as hard to forget. In his books which, like stasiland, are hard to categorize, blending elements of the novel, memoir, and personal essaysebald deals with themes of memory, guilt, and trauma, often set against the backdrop of 20thcentury german history. In a country where the headquarters of the secret police can become a museum literally overnight and in which one in fifty east germans were informing on their fellow citizens, there are thousands of captivating stories.
Claire tomalin, guardian books ofthe year annafunder delivers a prizewinning and powerfully rendered account of theresistance against east germanys communist dictatorship in these harrowing,personal tales of life behind the iron curtainand, especially, of life underthe iron fist of the stasi, east germanys brutal. Following a swaggering yet hairraising account of his own meeting with stasi chief erich mielke in 1965, koehler delves into many incidents that show how the stasi frequently operated beyond the. In order to understand the extent of the personal damage and despair suffered by people on a daily basis, funder interviews a range of east german citizens, including ordinary people, unwilling informers and the stasi operators. Praise for stasiland moving and exhilirating, stasiland is the kind of book that makes us love nonfiction.
Erich mielkethe career of a german stalinist world. Claire tomalin, guardian books ofthe year annafunder delivers a prizewinning and powerfully rendered account of theresistance against east germanys communist dictatorship in these harrowing,personal tales of life behind the iron curtainand. What are some good books to read on the stasi, the kgb, and. May 25, 2000 erich mielke, who headed the former east germanys secret police, the stasi, for three decades, has died in berlin at the age of 92. Both books are international bestsellers, published in over 24 countries. This was the procedure for it, as elaborated in a directive from erich mielke, the. Laid out upright and end to end, reports stasiland, a first book.
Aug 24, 2000 on may 26 erich mielke, who for years had headed the east german secret police, or stasi, died aged 92 years in an east berlin old peoples home. Giles macdonogh is gripped by personal histories of stasi rule in anna funders stasiland buy stasiland at. Stasiland study guide from litcharts the creators of. Stasiland bears an interesting resemblance to several of the works of w. Stasiland is a lyrical, at times funny account of the courage some people found to withstand the communist dictatorship, and the consequences for those who collaborated.
There were almost 100,000 stasi employees, with an additional 173,000 fulltime informers. Stasiland demonstrates that great, originalreporting is still possible. Their ministry, ransomed heart, has been used by god to transform the lives of men and women all over the world. Erich mielke was born in a tenement in berlinwedding, kingdom of prussia, german empire, on 28 december 1907. An exception was erich mielke, the head of state security. Free delivery on your first eligible order to uk or ireland. Stasiland and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Towards the end of his life, mielke found out that he was followed as well by the stasi.
Erich mielke, east german government minister born dec. Stasiland is just that a series of vignettes derived from interviews with. Thirty years after the fall of the berlin wall, the author of stasiland reveals the. Tom hanks called it fascinating, entertaining, hilarious, horrifying and very important. Stasiland is a lyrical, at times funny account of the courage some people found to withstand the dictatorship, and the consequences for those who collaborated. In order to understand the extent of the personal damage and despair suffered. Wilhelm zaisser was the first minister of state security of the gdr, and erich mielke was his deputy. During the first world war, the neighborhood was known as red wedding due to many residents marxist militancy. The puzzlers 32 list the minor characters in stasiland. The lack of information about the sequence of photographs found in the office walls of the leader of stasi, erich mielke, depicting the burial of a swan only fires up the imagination. She later studied at freie university in berlin, and received. Mielke ran the feared stasi from 1957 until the fall of the berlin wall in 1989. Wilhelm pieck 19571960 walter ulbricht 19601973 friedrich ebert 1973. The stasi, of course, were the east german secret police.
Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The baddies erich honecker and erich mielke head of state and minister of state. Stasiland summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. His parents helped found the communist party of germany kpd, and mielke was very active in the party. I came across anna funders book stasiland while researching germany in particular berlin from 19451990 and i have to say it is one of the best books i have read on any subject. Army intelligence officer and an ap correspondent for 28 years including a stint as berlin bureau chief, koehler does much to illuminate the workings of the stasi, the much feared east. Erich mielkethe career of a german stalinist by ludwig niethammer 24 august 2000 on may 26 erich mielke, who for years had headed. The australian anna funder was working in television in berlin in the mid1990s when she became interested in the stasi.
The spys the limit guardian first book award 2003 the. The untold story of the east german secret police by. Inside the real room 101 anna funders tragicomic tale of secrets and lies in the east german spystate has won britains top nonfiction prize. Stasiland makes us ask questions about our veneration for law, our craving for law and order and our willingness to obey. Anna funder was born in australia and spent much of her childhood in paris. Decided to try and escape to west germany sees a good. Anna is the author of the book, a journalist who traveled to germany in work interest. The baddies erich honecker and erich mielke head of state and minister of state security respectively are brought to life and seen as real people with real personalities rather than just faces on posters and posed photographs. Stories from behind the berlin wall book online at best prices in india on. Mielke and honecker grew up fighting the real evil of nazism. What other explanations are there for such a high number of informers.
She found her subject in east germany, went for it bravely and delivers the goods in a heartbreaking, beautifully written book. Report eines leipziger pfeffermullers german edition by hoerning, hanskarl and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. It tells the story of what it was like to work for the stasi, and describes how those who did so now come to terms, or do not, with their pasts. The baddies erich honecker and erich mielke head of state and minister of state security. The ruling classes and social tastemakers in the west at the time that communism fell, and for decades before and since, had and have a lot of sympathy for. A contemporary classic, stasiland won the 2004 samuel johnson prize for best nonfiction in english. Under mielke, there was one stasi agent or informant per sixtythree people. In 2004 stasiland won the bbc samuel johnson prize, the most prestigious nonfiction award in the united kingdom. Claire tomalin, guardian books ofthe year annafunder delivers a prizewinning and powerfully rendered account of theresistance against east germanys communist dictatorship in these harrowing, personal tales of life behind the iron curtainand, especially. The first time i met erich mielke, the notorious chief of the communist east german secret police, was in february 1965, during a reception for alexei n. In a country where the headquarters of the secret police can become a museum literally overnight, and one in 50 east germans were informing on their countrymen and women, there are a thousand stories just waiting to get out. He was a berliner, wanted since 1931 for shooting a policeman.
Jun 07, 2003 an exception was erich mielke, the head of state security. Stories from behind the berlin wall by anna funder isbn. Stasi eldredge books, stasi east germany, stasi eldredge quotes. In a handwritten biography written for the soviet secret police, mielke described his father as a poor, uneducated woodworker, and said that his mother died in 1911. Erich honecker was the secretary of state when the berlin wall fell. Wollweber resigned in 1957 after clashes with ulbricht and erich.
After the fall, erich was tried and imprisoned for his actions erich is mentioned by many characters in the book who criticize him and talk about his influence. Helen garner the author is a notsonaive australian alice wandering around an east german wonderland that is littered with the debris from the stasi. By bernd pulch in bernd pulch, documentary, erich mielke, mord, murder and executions, stasi, video november 8, 2016 july 15, 2017 628 words send to email address your name your email address cancel. For decades, the stasi, headed by erich mielke, conducted surveillance on a staggering number of east german citizens, and sponsored a vast network of informants. Mielke ran the stasi surveillance force, and was responsible for ordering the surveillance of tens of thousands of german citizens, to the point. Erich fritz emil mielke was a german communist official who served as head of the east. Erich was the head of the stasi before the fall of the wall of berlin. Anna funders stasiland demonstrates that great, original reporting is still possible. A native of berlin and a secondgeneration member of the communist party of.
After 1989 he was put on trial and served a few years of a token sentence. Escapes under the berlin wall and the historic films the jfk white house tried to kill has just been published in. I put myself out for you mielkes unique brand of love transformed east germany into probably the most spiedupon country in history. Mar 02, 2012 mielke was born in wedding, a district in the northern part of berlin, on december 29 1907. Stories from behind the berlin wall enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Chapter 6 page 57 erich mielke all this blithering about to execute or not to execute, for the death penalty or against all rot, comrades. Stasiland by anna funder is a book first published in 2003 about individuals who resisted the east german regime, and others who worked for its secret police, the stasi. Funder describes the offices of a man named erich mielke, the minister for state security, whose name is still synonymous with the stasi. Stasiland gives a great emphasis to real peoples stories both from inside and outside the force but with 1 in 7 people in berlin connected to the stasi in the 70s there werent that many people out side of it and as well as accounts gives detailed notes on various major events in the. And they kept on fighting the west, which they saw as nazisms successor, for fortyfive years after the war ended. Under mielke, the stasi became one of the most powerful surveillance forces in history. Jan, 2018 anna funders stasiland, written in 2002 but covering the authors journeys through the former east germany in 1996 and 2000, is a partial corrective to this erasure of memory.
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