The Fall of the Berlin Wall: Stories between East and West

In this updated and extended edition of the seminal work Chronik der Wende (first published in 1994), Bahrmann and Links...

In this updated and extended edition of the seminal work Chronik der Wende (first published in 1994), Bahrmann and Links use photos, documents and eyewitness accounts to explore the events of the year from 7th October 1989 to 3rd October 1990, when Germany was reunified. March 1990 saw the only democratic vote in GDR history, after which the victorious East German conservative party alliance, supported by West German chancellor Helmut Kohl, pushed through their plans to reunify Germany without delay. This is a vital record of the end of the GDR and the technicalities of reunification.

The dates 9th October and 9th November have been burned into German memory, but 4th November 1989 is often forgotten....

The dates 9th October and 9th November have been burned into German memory, but 4th November 1989 is often forgotten. On this day, 500,000 people gathered in East Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, with speakers ranging from writer Christa Wolf to ex-Stasi General Markus Wolf and Politbüro member Günter Schabowski. They all believed a new East Germany was possible. But after the wall fell, the group dispersed. Journalist and author Patrick Bauer gathers recollections from those who lived through one of the most significant but overlooked days in German history.

First published in 1986, edited by psychologist Frank Blohm, Geh doch rüber! is a collection of texts by various writers...

First published in 1986, edited by psychologist Frank Blohm, Geh doch rüber! is a collection of texts by various writers about the real life relationships between people on both sides of the wall. As a student, Blohm (himself living in WestBerlin) had been keen to prove that the two Germanys were not completely estranged; following publication of the book, even under a pseudonym, he was monitored closely by the Stasi. In this updated version, Blohm tells the story behind the creation of the book and some of the original contributing authors discus show life has changed over the last 30 years.

How has literature responded to German reunification? In the first comprehensive overview of the canon of ”reunification literature“, Born is...

How has literature responded to German reunification? In the first comprehensive overview of the canon of ”reunification literature“, Born is able to demonstrate how German unity was the dominating theme of German literature in the 1990s. Featuring voices from both sides of this debate, he charts the evolution from political writings to more reflective, personal accounts. The result is a highly original and fascinating insight into a subject that has become a crucial and popular topic for writers over the last three decades.

The division of Germany was most keenly felt in the capital, Berlin. In Die Berliner Mauer, historian Thomas Flemming tells...

The division of Germany was most keenly felt in the capital, Berlin. In Die Berliner Mauer, historian Thomas Flemming tells the story of this city, starting from the Berlin Crisis in 1948 and ending with efforts to protect the remaining parts of the wall following reunification. Using photos and documents from the time, Flemming shows the evolution of the wall from barbed wire fence to the planned electric ”high-tech border“. He brings to life the dramas and escape attempts along what was then the world’s most heavily armed border.

Jana Hensel, bestselling author of Zonenkinder, has spent years researching the life of East Germans and the GDR, producing numerous...

Jana Hensel, bestselling author of Zonenkinder, has spent years researching the life of East Germans and the GDR, producing numerous articles, essays and interviews. Her new book explores the situation 30 years on from the fall of the wall to show how the former East Germans see themselves today. Drawing on personal experiences and those of some prominent East German citizens, such as Angela Merkel, Hensel provides a captivating account of a unique country – which disappeared.

Hans-Hermann Hertle is an award- winning historian and political scientist. First published in 1996, and now expanded and updated, this...

Hans-Hermann Hertle is an award- winning historian and political scientist. First published in 1996, and now expanded and updated, this book covers the events of 9th and 10th November, when SED Politbüro member Günter Schabowski inadvertently announced at a press conference that the wall would open ”sofort, unverzüglich“ (”immediately, without delay“) instead of the next day, as planned. Thousands of East Germans stormed the wall and entered the West. Using thorough research and hundreds of eye witness interviews, Hertle paints a vivid picture of the events of that extraordinary night.

In March 1982, the GDR passed a law that allowed women to be called up for military service. But not...

In March 1982, the GDR passed a law that allowed women to be called up for military service. But not everyone was happy to fall in line – seven women, among them Almut Ilsen, organised a petition, marking the start of the group ”Women for Peace“, which would become one of the longest-running opposition groups in the GDR. 35 years on, 18 of the women look back at the action they took. Ilsen and Leiserowitz present their personal take on the events alongside previously unpublished photos, documents and extracts from Stasi files.

The Peaceful Revolution of 1989 – when protests rose up across the GDR – is one of the most important...

The Peaceful Revolution of 1989 – when protests rose up across the GDR – is one of the most important events of the second half of the twentieth century. Author and political scientist Ingo Juchler takes readers to some of the main locations, from Leipzig, Berlin and Dresden to Potsdam, Jena and beyond. Packed with informative texts on the background to the events as well as numerous photos, this is a valuable source for those wanting to explore one of the most crucial periods of modern German history.

The fall of the wall had a profound and lasting impact on post-war German history. But how did people on...

The fall of the wall had a profound and lasting impact on post-war German history. But how did people on both sides spend that extraordinary day when the Berlin Wall fell? What dreams and fears did they have as the wall came down? And what became of those dreams – and of the nightmares? Civil rights campaigner and filmmaker Freya Klier interviews 23 eyewitnesses, from politicians to former Neo-Nazis and RAF terrorists, as well as those who helped the refugees. By asking them: ”And where were you?“ Klier provides a colourful panorama of German history.

On 9th October 1989, the Leipzig police faced 70,000 pro-democracy demonstrators – but failed completely to prevent their peaceful protest....

On 9th October 1989, the Leipzig police faced 70,000 pro-democracy demonstrators – but failed completely to prevent their peaceful protest. It was a key turning point in the end of the GDR. As one of the ”Leipzig Six“ freedom fighters, Bernd-Lutz Lange helped write a radio appeal to ensure the protests remained peaceful. They did. 30 years on, together with his historian- son Sascha, Lange looks back at those demonstrations and with the help of Stasi files reveals the lengths the socialist state planned to go to in order to prevent its citizens from fighting for freedom.

The people of West Berlin – an island in Germany, behind the wall and constantly watched by the rest of...

The people of West Berlin – an island in Germany, behind the wall and constantly watched by the rest of the world – often described their lives like living in a zoo. In fact, Berlin’s two zoos quickly became symbols of the divided city’s two halves. The head zookeepers, both East and West, began a competition to collect the most animals; politicians on both sides began discussing zoo policy in order to persuade their citizens that having the best zoo proves they had the best political ideology too. This is an extraordinary, true story of desperate rivalries within a bitterly divided nation.

Born in Berlin in 1989, Johannes Nichelmann is an author and journalist. In Nachwendekinder he tells the story of three...

Born in Berlin in 1989, Johannes Nichelmann is an author and journalist. In Nachwendekinder he tells the story of three young people, all born around 1989, who are trying to find out their families’ East German pasts, and to come to terms with the part they played in this chapter of history. Through numerous discussions and interviews, Nichelmann has produced a sensitive book and started an honest debate about how we can explore the legacy of memory and identity and accept the past in a world where nothing is ever black or white.

From the late 1940s to 1974, BBC Radio’s German Service broadcast a programme called ”Briefe ohne Unterschrift“ (”Unsigned Letters“). Each...

From the late 1940s to 1974, BBC Radio’s German Service broadcast a programme called ”Briefe ohne Unterschrift“ (”Unsigned Letters“). Each week, East German listeners were given a new address to write to in West Berlin, and various letters would be read out – both from supporters and critics of the regime. The letters were anonymous, as listening to the BBC was ideologically unacceptable in the GDR. This highly readable and engaging book contains direct quotes from the letters as well as from the Stasi’s reports of the programme.

Writers Jochen Schmidt and David Wagner were born a few months apart – Wagner in the West and Schmidt in...

Writers Jochen Schmidt and David Wagner were born a few months apart – Wagner in the West and Schmidt in East Germany. They de- scribe their childhoods; watching TV, riding bikes, stealing sweets from their siblings. At school, they were both told that life on the other side – ”drüben“ – was not nearly so good. In this entertaining and honest book, two of Germany’s most successful contemporary authors explore what growing up on their side of the wall meant for them. How much were German children aware of the politics that dominated their countries?

Daniel Biskup, one of Germany’s most important contemporary photojournalists, was there when the wall fell. He watched as East Germans’...

Daniel Biskup, one of Germany’s most important contemporary photojournalists, was there when the wall fell. He watched as East Germans’ initial euphoria gradually faded into disillusionment, capturing key periods such as the flood to the West to find work – and their disappointment. In 400 photos, Biskup exposes the reality of life for the majority of East Germans who did not benefit from reunification, and provides a timely reminder that these early experiences of feeling let down and abandoned have contributed to the current discontent and rise of the far right in Germany and Europe.

It is the 1960s in East Berlin and Charlotte Groen is following in the footsteps of her father, a committed...

It is the 1960s in East Berlin and Charlotte Groen is following in the footsteps of her father, a committed socialist. Charlotte’s sister, Marlene, yearns for freedom and eventually decides to flee to the West with her boyfriend. Decades later, Theresa Groen is surprised to hear she has inherited a house from her sister Marlene, whom she’d always believed had died as a girl. As Theresa investigates, she uncovers a web of lies and betrayals in this fascinating family story spanning 80 years of German history.

Thomas Brussig is a prize-winning novelist whose works have been translated into 30 languages. Set in East Berlin in 1989,...

Thomas Brussig is a prize-winning novelist whose works have been translated into 30 languages. Set in East Berlin in 1989, Beste Absichten tells the story of the members of the band ”Die Seuche“ – the epidemic – who have only one fan (who is also their manager) and are struggling to get their big break when suddenly the wall falls and everything changes. This warmhearted novel is a tribute to the music of a bygone era and an exploration of those pivotal moments when one thing comes to an end and another begins.

Susanne Gregor was born in Czechoslovakia in 1981. In Das letzte rote Jahr, three friends, Misa, Rita and Slavka, are...

Susanne Gregor was born in Czechoslovakia in 1981. In Das letzte rote Jahr, three friends, Misa, Rita and Slavka, are living in the same building in Slovakia in 1989, during the final year of the socialist regime. The girls each try to find their own feet as they struggle through adolescence, while the precarious political situation threatens to destroy everything they hold dear. Highly topical even today, this beautifully written coming-of-age novel gives a valuable insight into a corner of Eastern Europe and a fascinating period of history.

Christoph Hein is a highly acclaimed author who grew up in the GDR. Verwirrnis takes readers from the post-war years...

Christoph Hein is a highly acclaimed author who grew up in the GDR. Verwirrnis takes readers from the post-war years through to the 1990s as the young student Friedeward battles to come to terms with his homosexuality, and later his lover’s decision to move to the West. Against the backdrop of this turbulent and often dangerous period of history, Hein movingly explores a love that for years defies all odds – and provides a vivid panorama of German intellectual life.