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Carola Stern

カロラ・シュテルン

Karora Shuterun

Aliases: Erika Assmus
Pen Names: Carola Stern（Pseudonym used as journalist and author）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1928-11-14 （Ahlbeck, Island of Usedom, Pomerania, Germany）
Died
2006-01-19 （Berlin, Germany） age 77
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Residence History
Berlin → Cologne

Career

Occupations
Spy, writer, journalist, broadcaster
Active Years
1945-2006
Affiliations
Amnesty International German Section, PEN International German Section
Memberships
Amnesty International (1961-1970 deputy chair, chair), PEN International German Section (1987-1995 vice-president, honorary president from 1995), Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED, former)
Influenced
Günter Grass

Education

German Academy for Politics
Politics
Period: 1951-1959
Country: Germany
Stand-alone institution, later integrated into Free University

Awards

Jakob Kaiser Prize
1970
Category: 放送/レポート
Result: 受賞
Carl von Ossietzky Medal
1972
Category: 平和と人権
Result: 受賞
Nordrhein-Westfalen Prize
1988
Category: 文化・科学・一般
Organization: State of Nordrhein-Westfalen
Result: 受賞
Hermann Kesten Prize
1994
Category: 迫害された著作家支援
Result: 受賞
Hermann Sinsheimer Prize
1995
Category: 文学
Result: 受賞
Roswitha Prize
1998
Category: 文学（女性限定）
Result: 受賞
Louise Schroeder Medal
1998
Category: 平和・民主主義・社会正義
Result: 受賞
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
2001
Organization: Federal Republic of Germany
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Doppelleben

2001 Autobiography

Autobiography detailing her double life as a spy in East Germany and life in West Germany.

Double lifeHuman rightsCold War

In den Netzen der Erinnerung

1986 Autobiography

Autobiographical book reflecting on her life and Nazi-era conformity.

Nazi eraMemorySelf-criticism

Ulbricht. Eine politische Biographie

1964 Biography

Political biography of East German leader Walter Ulbricht.

East GermanyCommunism

Bibliography

  • Die SED (1954)
  • Porträt einer bolschewistischen Partei (1957)
  • Ulbricht. Eine politische Biographie (1964)
  • Lexikon zur Geschichte und Politik im 20. Jahrhundert (1971)
  • Willy Brandt (1975)
  • Zwei Christen in der Politik (1979)
  • Wendepunkte der deutschen Geschichte (1979)
  • Strategien für die Menschenrechte (1980)
  • amnesty international – Wer schweigt, wird mitschuldig (1981)
  • Isadora Duncan und Sergej Jessenin (1986)
  • In den Netzen der Erinnerung (1986)
  • "Ich möchte mir Flügel wünschen." Das Leben der Dorothea Schlegel (1990)
  • Der Text meines Herzens. Das Leben der Rahel Varnhagen (1994)
  • Die Sache, die man Liebe nennt. Das Leben der Fritzi Massary (1998)
  • Männer lieben anders. Helene Weigel und Bertolt Brecht (2000)
  • Doppelleben (2001)
  • Alles, was ich in der Welt verlange. Das Leben der Johanna Schopenhauer (2003)
  • "Uns wirft nichts mehr um." Eine Lebensreise (2004)
  • Eine Erdbeere für Hitler (2005)
  • Auf den Wassern des Lebens (2005)
  • Kommen Sie, Cohn! (2006)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Political and social-democratic perspectiveAnalytical style on East Germany
Recurring Motifs
Human rightsWomen's issuesCold War double lives

Legacy

Renowned human rights advocate, co-founder of Amnesty International German section, vice-president of PEN German section, Carola Stern Foundation established for persecuted writers.

Museums

  • Hans Werner Richter House Bansin, Usedom Island

Archives

  • Carola Stern Foundation (Darmstadt)

In Popular Culture

  • Ahlbeck rejected memorial during her lifetime

Quotes

  • When I look back over my life, and think about the many things I have done, I always say: the smartest thing I did in my life was to found Amnesty International in the Federal Republic.

Trivia

  • Served as a spy for US Army CIC in East Germany
  • Fled East Germany; initially published anonymously with three stars, origin of pen name
  • Signed the 'We had an abortion!' letter with 374 women
  • Self-critical of her BDM (League of German Girls) leadership in Nazi era