The Stasi Poetry Circle

Name: The Stasi Poetry Circle
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9780571331208
Price: 32.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

The Creative Writing Class that Tried to Win the Cold War

By Philip Oltermann

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( 666 ratings, 96 reviews)

Summary

The Stasi Poetry Circle by Philip Oltermann explores an intriguing chapter of history where members of East Germany's secret police, the Stasi, formed a poetry collective. The book delves into the unexpected fusion of surveillance and creativity, offering a unique perspective on how poetry provided an outlet for expression amidst an atmosphere of control and espionage. Through this lens, it examines the power dynamics and cultural life within a totalitarian regime.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$32⁹⁹

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The Stasi Poetry Circle

$32⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're intrigued by Cold War history, as it offers a unique glimpse into the secret world of East Germany's Stasi through the lens of their unexpected poetry workshops. The narrative combines espionage with a human element, exploring how art and politics intertwined behind the Iron Curtain.

The extraordinary true story of the Stasi's poetry club: Stasiland and The Lives of Others crossed with Dead Poets Society

The extraordinary true story of the Stasi's poetry club: Stasiland and The Lives of Others crossed with Dead Poets Society.

Description

‘Engrossing.’ - Observer

‘Remarkable.’ - The Times

‘Magnificent.’ - Phillipe Sands

‘Gripping.’ - Literary Review

‘A history so outlandish and unlikely that you feel it must be true . . . [A] grippingly well-written book.’ - Anthony Quinn, Observer Book of the Week

In 1982, East Germany's fearsome secret police - convinced that writers were embedding subversive messages in their work - decided to train their own writers, weaponising poetry in the struggle against the class enemy. Once a month, a group of soldiers and border guards gathered in a heavily guarded military compound in East Berlin for meetings to learn how to write lyrical verse.

Journalist Philip Oltermann spent five years rifling through Stasi files, digging out lost volumes of poetry and tracking down surviving members of this Red poet's society, to illustrate the little-known story in which spies turned poets and poets became spies.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Stasi Poetry Circle by Philip Oltermann is praised as a magnificent and captivating narrative that readers find difficult to put down. The book is described as touching and beautifully written, combining exquisite storytelling with a thrilling detective-like approach. It is regarded as deserving of wide readership and cinematic adaptation.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571331208

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 February 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 186g

Pages: 224

Collections

European History History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction Philip Oltermann

About the Author

Philip Oltermann grew up in Schleswig-Holstein and stud-ied English and German literature at Oxford University and University College London. As a journalist he has written for Granta, the London Review of Books and the Guardian, for whom he is the Berlin Bureau Chief. He is the author of Keeping Up with the Germans (2012) and tweets at@philipoltermann.