25 years after the unification of the two German states, the author uses the main character Barbara Redmann to build a bridge between yesterday in the GDR and tomorrow in the new Germany. This is not a new unification or forgetting novel, but an entertaining story about the experiences of radio journalists during the turbulent years of reunification.
The view of the collective gap in the minds of yesterday’s journalists and the experiences of getting used to the newcomers are not without conflict, and so Redmann’s insights range from positive surprises, such as in the encounter with the Hanoverian journalist Mahler, to the confrontation with the landlord-style thinking of „high achievers“ from the old federal states.
The gradual displacement from the familiar everyday life in radio, which causes difficulties in reorientation, especially for the long-established journalist, ultimately ends in a more open conclusion. We are not given a happy ending or the usual negative outlook, but can ask ourselves how we too want to move on …
Jana Merz does not conclude her life with this debut work, but remains open to further commitment to her ideals with this story. The former journalist incorporates autobiographical elements and sets the story in Mecklenburg. But Ms. Redmann could also have lived, loved and worked in central Germany or Brandenburg. The story is only time-bound, not place-bound. Jana Merz makes an effort to understand the time of upheaval and at the same time openly addresses the contradictions that result from the misconduct of yesterday and controversial decisions for tomorrow. Her credo is not to stand on the sidelines, but to get involved.
Jana Merz
Between yesterday and tomorrow – life in Newfoundland
111 pages
paperback
Price: 11,90 Euro
Publisher: CamiloVerlag
Published by: Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt
ISBN 978-3-8391-4041-7
Distribution e.g. via Amazon: http://www.amazon.de/Zwischen-Gestern-Morgen-Leben-Neuf%C3%BCnfland/dp/3839140145/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418762848&sr=8-1&keywords=Jana+Merz