Stasiland
by Anna Funder · first published 2003
8mentions
6recommended by
7HN commenters
2009–2025first – last mentioned
86% recommend14% neutral
"It's Berlin in the 1990s. A city split for forty years by the Wall is trying to knit itself back together - a city where former Stasi men and their victims now pass one another in the street, and where, just under the surface, the Nazi past now lies buried. When Anna Funder hears of ordinary people who resisted the fearsome Stasi - the Communist regime's secret police - she sets out to investigate the extraordinary stories from the underbelly of the most perfected surveillance state of all time, the former East Germany." "Stasiland is a look at courage, conscience and the extremes of what hum
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I found "Stasiland" by Anna Funder a good read if you don't mind reading a more general history of the Stasi. There are a few examples in there I believe.
on “DNA database that found Golden State Killer is potential national security leak” ↗Stasiland by Anna Funder is also a great read on the topic. And then there’s Katja Hoyer’s “Beyond The Wall” which takes a comprehensive look at the DDR.
on “East German Stasi Tactics – Zersetzung (2021)” ↗…known and egregious example of large scale surveillance outfit is the Stasi. It's reported that there was one informer per every 6 and a half people. Possibly the highest ratio of all known examples. Stasiland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasiland is a fascinating read. And of course "The Lives of Others" is a must watch. If for no other reason than to experience an eloquent demonstration of powerful yet understated…
on “Age of surveillance: the fish is rotting from its head” ↗I have a nerdish interest in the Stasi for reasons I can't quite explain. I've not seen the movie, but I'd recommend Stasiland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasiland as an account of various people who lived under the Stasi. Also, The File: http://www.amazon.com/The-File-A-Personal-History/dp/0679777... The (again, factual)…
on “Germans accuse U.S. of Stasi tactics before Obama visit” ↗I'm reading Stasiland right now (strong recommendation), and I shudder to think of what the Stasi could do with today's means. However, in this case, it would mean that machines handle CRUD while humans can tackle the edge…
on “I digitalized Berlin's registration form” ↗Illusion of Control, Jon Danielsson The Last Emperor of Mexico, Edward Shawcross Super-Infinite, Katherine Rundell Stasiland, Anna Funder
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗I forget the name of the book (maybe 'stasiland'?) given to me by a German coworker but the level of surveillance the east Germans lived under sounds incredible.
on “West German spies secretly monitored jokes to assess public mood ” ↗Nah man, I’m not aiming for any linguistic purity or any such thing. All I want is to experience the sounds, smells, quirks, slangs and unique things that make up the culture. e.g. when I read „Stasiland “, I knew exactly what Miriam felt. When I read the „Kite runner”, as an ex-kite runner, I felt one with Aamir and Hassan. Linguistic purity reminds me of casteism/accentism which I abhor. I just want…
on “Is being bilingual good for your brain?” ↗