ANDERSON

Anderson is probably the most prominent and "dazzling" IM of the GDR. Companions say that he had always lied and it belonged to his personality, so to speak. He is very intelligent and, like the artist on the tightrope, juggles with fabrications from which he repeatedly winds himself out – you can't believe him. Typical for him is the sentence that he can't "absolve himself of guilt" after all. Sure, the guilt remains with him for life. But he doesn't thematize atonement either.

In many conversations with Anderson and his companions, Annekatrin Hendel traces this torn personality, being told how he jumped between friend and foe. She asks questions, listens and does not judge. Describing his permanent double life sounds like being an agent in an exciting thriller. But Anderson says nothing about the motives for this gruelling life. The "Why?" remains unanswered. Hendel provides rare insights. She does not condemn, she shows what it is like. KF