Berlin, 1962. Morale is at rock bottom in East Germany, thrown into chaos by the new Berlin Wall. The Ministry for State Security is hunting for a new weapon in the war against capitalism – and their solution is stranger than fiction. Rather than guns, tanks, or bombs, the Stasi resolve to fight the enemy through rhyme and verse, winning the Culture Wars through poetry – and the result is the most bizarre book club in history. Consisting of 15 secret agents – from WW2 veterans to schoolboy recruits – the ‘Working Group of Writing Chekists’ met monthly from 1962 until the Wall fell.

Author Philip Oltermann Published by Faber & Faber ISBN 9780571331192 EAN 9780571331192 Bic Code Cover Hardback