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Stasiland
WINNER OF THE BBC FOUR SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE
'Fascinating, entertaining, hilarious, horrifying and very important.' Tom Hanks
'Exhilirating ... The kind of book that makes us love non-fiction.' Helen Garner
'Unforgettable.' The Sydney Morning Herald
'Brilliant ... a masterpiece.' Sunday Times
Truth can be stranger – and more heartbreaking and hilarious – than fiction.
In this now classic work, Funder tells extraordinary stories from the most perfected surveillance state of all time, the former East Germany. She meets Miriam, condemned as an enemy of the state at sixteen, and Frau Paul, for whom the Berlin Wall ‘went through my heart’. She drinks with the legendary ‘Mik Jegger’ of the East, once declared by the authorities to ‘no longer exist’. And she meets ex-Stasi – men who spied on their families and friends – still loyal to the deposed regime as they await 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.
______________________________________________
'Stasiland demonstrates that great, original reporting is still possible ... A heartbreaking beautifully written book. A classic for sure.' Claire Tomalin, The Guardian UK
'Colourful, intensely observed, well executed, with lots of black humor and disturbing undertones.' Kirkus Reviews
'Filtered through Funder's own keen perspective, these dramatic tales highlight the courage that ordinary people can display in torturous circumstances.' Publishers Weekly
'Fascinating, entertaining, hilarious, horrifying and very important.' Tom Hanks
'Exhilirating ... The kind of book that makes us love non-fiction.' Helen Garner
'Unforgettable.' The Sydney Morning Herald
'Brilliant ... a masterpiece.' Sunday Times
Truth can be stranger – and more heartbreaking and hilarious – than fiction.
In this now classic work, Funder tells extraordinary stories from the most perfected surveillance state of all time, the former East Germany. She meets Miriam, condemned as an enemy of the state at sixteen, and Frau Paul, for whom the Berlin Wall ‘went through my heart’. She drinks with the legendary ‘Mik Jegger’ of the East, once declared by the authorities to ‘no longer exist’. And she meets ex-Stasi – men who spied on their families and friends – still loyal to the deposed regime as they await 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.
______________________________________________
'Stasiland demonstrates that great, original reporting is still possible ... A heartbreaking beautifully written book. A classic for sure.' Claire Tomalin, The Guardian UK
'Colourful, intensely observed, well executed, with lots of black humor and disturbing undertones.' Kirkus Reviews
'Filtered through Funder's own keen perspective, these dramatic tales highlight the courage that ordinary people can display in torturous circumstances.' Publishers Weekly
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2026
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About the author
Anna Funder
14 books726 followersAnna Funder was born in Melbourne in 1966. She has worked as an international lawyer and a radio and television producer. Her book Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, won the 2004 Samuel Johnson Prize. She lives in Sydney with her husband and family.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 14, 2026
Such a fascinating account of life for citizens and Stasi men living in the GDR; stories that are unbelievable.
In this land
I have been sown
Only my head sticks
Defiant, out of the earth
But one day it too will be mown
Making me, finally
Of this land.
In this land
I have been sown
Only my head sticks
Defiant, out of the earth
But one day it too will be mown
Making me, finally
Of this land.
Displaying 1 of 1 review