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The File: A Personal History

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The File: A Personal History - Thryft
The File: A Personal History - Thryft

Cold War espionage personal journey revealed.

This dive into 'The File' offers a haunting look into a world where privacy is obliterated by state surveillance. Imagine finding a file about your life compiled by a secret police force—it's the stuff of dystopian novels, yet Timothy Garton Ash recounts his true experience. His quest to confront those who spied on him poignantly mirrors the universal desire to understand and reclaim one's narrative amidst political repression. It's a powerful read for anyone fascinated by history, personal freedom, and the resilience of the human spirit against the machinations of totalitarian regimes.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Sale

The File: A Personal History

Save up to 51%
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

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This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9780006388470
Related Collections: Politics, History, Biographies & Memoirs
Related Topics: History, Politics, Biography

Description

When Timothy Garton Ash graduated from Oxford in 1978, he went to live in Berlin, ostensibly to research and write about Nazism. But once there, he gradually immersed himself in a study of the repressive political culture of East Germany. As if to return the favor, that culture--in the form of the dreaded East German secret police, the "Stasi"--secretly began studying him. As was Stasi's practice, over the years its study produced a considerable paper trail. After the fall of the East German communist regime, a government apparatus was established to allow those targeted to see their Stasi files, and Garton Ash discovered and pored over his. He then set about to interview the people who made this gross intrusion possible, the several case officers, and the numerous regular-citizen informers. The result is nothing short of a journey into the darkest recesses of the totalitarian mind, taking its place honorably alongside 1984 and Darkness at Noon.


Author: Timothy Garton Ash
Publication Date: 1997
 

Cold War espionage personal journey revealed.

This dive into 'The File' offers a haunting look into a world where privacy is obliterated by state surveillance. Imagine finding a file about your life compiled by a secret police force—it's the stuff of dystopian novels, yet Timothy Garton Ash recounts his true experience. His quest to confront those who spied on him poignantly mirrors the universal desire to understand and reclaim one's narrative amidst political repression. It's a powerful read for anyone fascinated by history, personal freedom, and the resilience of the human spirit against the machinations of totalitarian regimes.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.