“Anna Funder’s Stasiland demonstrates that great, original reporting is still possible. She found her subject in East Germany, went for it bravely and delivers the goods in a heartbreaking, beautifully written book. A classic for sure.” — Claire Tomalin, Guardian Books of the Year
“Seduced and repelled by the mythical lost world of Cold War Berlin, Anna Funder reconstructs it by visiting its torture chambers and meeting its citizens. A gripping account of a city’s search for identity under the unexpected burden of freedom” — Scotland on Sunday
“A brilliant account of the brutal histories of people whose lives were shaped by the Berlin Wall.” — Sunday Times (London)
“A brilliant and necessary book about oppression and history. . . . It both devastates and lifts the heart. Here is someone who knows how to tell the truth.” — Rachel Cusk, Evening Standard “Books of the Year”
“A fascinating book. . .written with rare, literary flair. I can think of no better introduction to the brutal reality of East German repression.” — Sunday Telegraph
“Brilliantly illustrates the weird, horrifying, viciously cruel place that was Cold War East Germany…As well as the horror, Funder writes superbly of the absurdities of the Stasi.” — Evening Standard
“Stasiland takes us on a grim journey into a country in which the ratio of watchers to watched was even higher than that of the Soviets under communism.” — The Times (London)
“In a well-researched, personalized account Funder. . .sets out to explore and explain eastern Germany as it is now. With the quick eye of a curious outsider she succeeds in teasing out personal accounts that offer a sometimes shocking, occasionally bizarre and often amusing portrayal of a place that, despite its undeniable achievements since 1989, is still something of a parallel world within united Germany.” — Financial Times
“Funder talks to cleaners, students and even former members of the Stasi to evoke the spirit of the bifurcated, extraordinarily modern city of Berlin.” — Marie Claire
“Funder brings home with chilling detail the sheer human wastefulness of a political system built on deception and betrayal. It’s a terrible story, but written with vivacity and wit.” — Daily Mail (London)
“Tells extraordinary tales of the country after the fall of the Berlin Wall. . . . She also writes superbly about what it is like to live in Berlin today.” — Sunday Telegraph