The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the Stasi, was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic. Photo: Shutterstock
Why East Germany’s much-feared Stasi secret police studied poetry
- Officers of the ‘Circle of Writing Chekists’ within the Stasi discussed poetry to better detect literary subversion, at a time when art was seen as a weapon
- ‘The Stasi Poetry Circle’ by Philip Oltermann provides a surprising, entertaining and enlightening account of the role of poetry in state control
The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the Stasi, was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic. Photo: Shutterstock
