The First Days of Berlin: The Sound of Change

by Ulrich Gutmair, Simon Pare (Translator)

Berlin in the early 1990s, right after the fall of the Berlin this is the place to be.  Berlin-Mitte, the central district of the city, with its wastelands and decaying houses, has become the centre of a new movement. Artists, musicians, squatters, club owners, DJs and ravers are reclaiming the old city centre and bringing it back to life. This interregnum between two systems – the collapse of the old East Germany, the gentrification of the new Berlin – lasts only a few years. West Berliners, East Berliners and new residents from abroad join together to create music, art and fashion, to open bars and clubs and galleries, even if only for a few weeks. In the months following the fall of the Wall, there is a feeling of new beginnings and immense life is now, and to be in the here and now feels endless. The phrase ‘temporary autonomous zone’ is circulating, it describes the idea – romantic and naive but, in the circumstances, not absurd – that, at a certain moment in history, you can actually do whatever you want.

Ulrich Gutmair moved to West Berlin as a student in autumn 1989: two weeks later the Wall came down.  He spent the next few years studying during the day in the West and exploring the squats, bars and techno clubs in the East at night.  He fell in love with House and Techno and raved at Tresor, Elektro, Bunker and many other places that in the meantime have almost disappeared from collective memory. Ten years later he decided to write a book about that period in between, when one regime was brought down and a new one wasn’t yet established. When utopia was actually a place to inhabit for a moment.

Genres: Germany, History, Nonfiction, Memoir

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2013

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Die Sirenen auf den Einsatzfahrzeugen sind bereits andere geworden. Wer Anfang 1990 aus dem Westen nach Ostberlin kommt, wundert sich über den Klang, mit dem sich die Autos der Volkspolizei ankündigen. Im Osten gibt es kein Martinshorn, hier hören sich die Sirenen wie in amerikanischen Gangsterfilmen an. Nachts, bei offenem Fenster, klingt Ostberlin wie New York.“

Etwas konfus und durcheinander (was mir aber gefällt, weil es sich ein bisschen wie in meinem Kopf anfühlt) zeichnet der Autor das schillerndes Bild eines Berlins, das ich nie erleben konnte, da es schon lange nicht mehr existiert. Obwohl der Text sich nicht in nostalgischen Schleifen verliert, ist Nostalgie dennoch das Grundgefühl, dass dieses Buch ausstrahlt. Die Sehnsucht nach einem Leben in einer Stadt, das so nie wieder möglich sein wird, weil die Stadt und die Welt, in der diese Stadt existiert, inzwischen so verändert sind. Und Traurigkeit wegen all der Möglichkeiten, all der faszinierenden Wege, die nicht begangen wurden, weil Entscheidungsträger*innen den Mut dazu nicht hatten.

Die Perspektiven sind divers, aber insgesamt ziemlich westlich geprägt, was ich schade finde. Mehr Ostberliner Eindrücke und insbesondere das kritischere Hinterfragen seiner eigenen westlichen Sichtweise auf Ostberlin und die DDR durch den Autor hätten das Buch noch bereichern können.

[Ultra Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought the English version in print and then switched to the German Kindle version very soon because the English translation was a little "bumpy". The book is ok. It conveys the eerie times after the wall fell and before there was new structured governance. It isn't well organized - things seem a bit out of order. It's a long account that's repetitive. I found it hard to read even though I normally get very invested in books on the topic being from Austria.

[Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very linear

[Korcan Derinsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Son söyleyeceğimi şimdi söyleyeyim, isminin vadettiklerinden mi bilmiyorum ama daha iyi bir metin bekliyordum doğrusu. Berlin’in Duvar’ın yıkılışının ardından yaşadığı deneyimi geçmişe de giderek anlatıyor yazar ancak anlattıklarının çok azı gerçekten ilgi çekici. Bazen fazla bilgiye boğuyor, bazen anlattığının içinde kayboluyor. İlginç bölümleri var ama bütünü biraz fazla “eh işte”.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting content but the organization and presentation of the material was chaotic and unfocused. This needed a solid outline and linear timeline; the constant jumping back and forth was disorienting and failed to immerse the reader in its attempts to convey the spirit of the Wende events.

[Ryan Auberson-Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would benefit from being written in a more chronological / orderly way - it was incredibly hard to stay focused to what are some incredible and fascinating recounts of this city, rich in history.

[Thomas Escritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminder to come back and write more about this

[Asım Eraydın · Rating 5 out of 5]

bayıldım. bu yıl okuduğum en tatlı kurgudışı metindi.

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting cultural history of Berlin.

[sogukahve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uzun soluklu bir kitap, çok fazla detay var ancak sizi bogmuyor, özellikle 90lar Almanyasini merak edenler mutlaka okumalı.

[Beah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abgesehen vom latenten "Pech, dass Du bei dieser coolen Party nicht dabei warst!" ist das Buch recht informativ. Auch wenn die Musik im Vordergrund stand, hat man sehr viel über die politschen Ereignisse und das zeitgeschichtliche Geschehen davor und danach gelernt.

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein chaotisches Protokoll voller Zeitsprünge durch die Jahrhunderte. Schrecklich lektoriert aber liebevoll erinnert.