Anna Funder

From harrowing accounts of tyrannical regimes to deeply moving portrayals of bravery, Anna Funder's work captures the essence of human struggle. Her two most famous novels have amassed numerous awards and been nominated for countless others. Her most popular book, Stasiland, is frequently praised as a modern classic and as one of the most important, intimate accounts of Cold War Germany ever made. This accolade is no mean feat, as Anna Funder lives in Australia, over 14000 km away from the book's subject country. That her books are so highly regarded is a testament both to her meticulous research process and compassionate understanding of humanity. Read on to learn more about Funder and her work!

Anna Funder biography

Anna Funder was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1966. Her father, John Funder (1940-), worked as a medical researcher and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia to commemorate his services to medicine. Anna spent her school years in both Melbourne and Paris before studying at both the University of Melbourne and the Freie Universität of Berlin, attaining both LLB (Hons) and a BA (Hons). It was this multinational education that aided Funder in becoming fluent in both French and German.

Funder completed her Masters degree at the University of Melbourne before attending the University of Technology Sydney, where she graduated as a Doctor of Creative Arts. After training as an international and human rights lawyer, Funder began working for the government, where she specialised in treaty negotiation, constitutional law, and human rights. Funder also worked as a television and radio producer.

In the late 1990s, Funder left her government role to become a full-time writer. She published her most famous non-fiction work, Stasiland: True Stories from behind the Berlin Wall, in 2003, before writing her first fiction work, the critically acclaimed All That I am (2011). Both works are set in Germany and depict the social impact that war has on German citizens.

Fig. 1 - Anna Funder was born in Australia and is trained as an international and human rights lawyer.

Despite transitioning to writing, Funder continues to deal with concerns surrounding human rights and frequently speaks out on important societal issues. She encourages corporation transparency and promotes compassion in society. Her articles are regularly published in newspapers and magazines and tackle a wide range of societal issues. Her journalistic work has been nominated for Best Australian Essays.

Funder also helps to advise the Australian Privacy Foundation. Her latest novel, The Girl with the Dogs (2015), deals with the issue of privacy by imagining love in the modern world, where everyone can be electronically tracked.

Let's look in more detail at Funder's successes as an author.

Anna Funder author

Today, Anna Funder is one of Australia's most successful authors. Her body of work is expansive, ranging from non-fiction essays and articles to fiction novels and novellas. Her writing is widely regarded by critics, and she is the receiver of several prestigious awards.

Funder's most popular work, Stasiland, received the 2004 Samuel Johnson (now Baillie Gifford) Prize, the most prestigious prize for non-fiction work available in the United Kingdom. The book has been adapted for both the radio and theatre and has been published in 28 countries.

In 2007, Funder's 'Secret History', a piece of long-form journalism, received the 2007 ASA Maunder Prize for Journalism. All That I am, Funder's first work of fiction, was an international bestseller and won numerous awards, including the Miles Franklin Prize and the Barbara Jefferis Award. It was also featured as The Times Book of the Month in May 2012. Funder was appointed to the Australian Literature Board in 2011.

Some of Funder's other notable awards include:

Anna Funder books

Let's explore Funder's most acclaimed works in more detail.

Anna Funder Stasiland

Funder's Stasiland, released in 2003, is a non-fiction account of life within the Communist State of East Germany. Funder travelled to Berlin in 1996 to witness the lasting impact of the Berlin Wall and to hear the stories of those affected by the East German regime. The area was heavily policed by the Stasi (The Ministry for State Security) between 1947 and 1991.

The Stasi were known for their brutal interrogation methods and for using intruding surveillance techniques to gather intelligence on individuals and maintain control of the population. It was estimated that every 1 in 6 people was a member of the Stasi in East Germany, making Stasiland an apt title for Funder's novel.

Fig. 2 - Berlin Wall features in Stasiland

Funder conducts a series of interviews in Berlin, questioning German citizens who can recall life during the Cold War. She encounters a range of people: both those who lost family during the regime and those who were a part of it. She discovers that many ex-Stasi show little remorse for their actions and that some try to downplay the severity of the regime.

She explores the extent of corruption that was present during the German Democratic Republic and the courage of individuals who rose against it. She also shows that traumatic events have a lasting impact and that the fall of the Berlin Wall does not put an end to the immense pain felt by those who suffered during the Cold War.

Anna Funder novel

Funder's first, and most acclaimed fiction novel, All That I am, was published in 2011 and follows the challenges characters face during the early days of the Nazi Regime from 1933 to 1939. Dora Fabian, Ernst Toller, Ruth Becker and Hans Wesemann are blacklisted by Hitler and outlawed from Germany. They are forced to flee to London, where they attempt in vain to warn others of Hitler's plans for war.

All That I am explores and expands upon many themes present in Stasiland, like the emotional impact of corrupt regimes and bravery in the face of extreme adversity. Funder has also been praised across both novels for bringing forgotten, lesser-known stories to the forefront.