Anna Funder is an Australian writer who grew up in Melbourne. She studied creative writing at the University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...

, also later studying at the Free University of Berlin

Free University of Berlin

Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...

 as the recipient in 1994 of a DAAD Scholarship (German Government Academic Exchange Service Award). In 1995 after the Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...

 came down she applied for and received a fellowship from the Australia German Association to return to Germany.

Funder has worked as an international law

International law

Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...

yer and in public relations

Public relations

Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....

 for a German overseas television service in Berlin. Living and working in Berlin inspired her to write her first book, the non-fiction work Stasiland

Stasiland

Stasiland: Oh Wasn't it so Terrible - True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall Stasiland: Oh Wasn't it so Terrible - True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall Stasiland: Oh Wasn't it so Terrible - True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall (Stasiland: Ach, war es nicht so schrecklich - Wahre...

, which explores the machinations of the secret police known as the Stasi

Stasi

The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...

 in the former German Democratic Republic

German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...

. She was awarded the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize

Samuel Johnson Prize

The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is one of the most prestigious prizes for non-fiction writing. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award and based on an anonymous donation. The prize is named after Samuel Johnson...

for non-fiction in 2004.

Television

• co-writer for the TV show – Tripping Over , (October 2006) directed by Tony Tilse.

External links

• Anna Funder official website
• Video: Anna Funder lecture on 'Courage' Sydney PEN 3 Voices Project, Nov 2008, on SlowTV
• Podcast of Anna Funder discussing “On East Germany” at the Shanghai International Literary Festival
• The Guardian review of All That I Am