The Second Woman

A novel that was written 45 years ago – knowing that it was »absolutely unprintable« in the GDR, Kunert hid it in the archives. It has now been found again and can finally be published.

Whilst looking through an old trunk, Günter Kunert recently found a manuscript that he wrote almost forty-five years ago – a novel so bold, explosive and »politically impossible« that Kunert, who was still living in the GDR at the time, did not even show it to a publisher. Knowing that it was »absolutely unprintable«, he buried the manuscript so deep in his archives that he forgot all about it himself, only rediscovering it by chance.
Kunert is famous for his sceptical poems, which warn us of ecological catastrophes and undesirable developments, for his miniatures and short prose texts, notations, radio plays, films; he is little known as a novelist. Yet here is a novel, sparkling and fresh, written halfway through his life. The male protagonist is looking for a gift for his wife’s fortieth birthday; the choice in the shops is every bit as discouraging as his own lack of imagination. In the end, he exchanges East German Marks for West German currency so that he can go and buy something at the Intershop, where he makes some thoughtless remarks. A tragicomedy unfolds about Montaigne, misunderstandings and the absurdity of the Stasi.