Anne Richter

Rooted in the author's firsthand experience as an East German who bore witness to the fall of the Berlin Wall at the age of sixteen, Distant Signs explores the complexity of familial bonds, love, and life behind and beyond the iron curtain.Against the backdrop of seismic political upheaval in 1960s East Germany Margret, a professor's daughter hailing from the city, and Hans, a man rooted in a tranquil Thuringian forest village are embroiled in a family saga. Their love story is colored by the clash of their disparate origins and the lingering emotional wounds inflicted by a war-torn childhood. As historical events play out, the secrets of two families are revealed.Anne Richter's exquisite prose translated from German by Douglas Irving, paints a vivid portrait of a society marked by change while paying homage to the quiet strength that exists within the most trying of times.

Distant Signs is an intimate portrait of two families spanning three generations amidst turbulent political change, behind and beyond the Berlin Wall. In 1960s East Germany, Margret, a professor's daughter from the city, meets and marries Hans, from a small village in the Thuringian forest. The couple struggle to contend with their different backgrounds, and the emotional scars they bear from childhood in the aftermath of war. As East German history gradually unravels, with collision of the personal and political, their two families' hidden truths are quietly revealed. An exquisitely written novel with strongly etched characters that stay with you long after the book is finished and an authentic portrayal of family life behind the iron curtain based on personal experience of the author who is East German and was 16 years old at the fall of the Berlin Wall.

From the magnificent royal gold jewelry of Burma and Thailand to the simple adornments worn by remote hill peoples, Anne Richter visually explores the complex cultural landscape of what is now Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos,Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. Necklaces, buckles, pendants, belts, buttons, ear ornaments, hairpins, anklets, torques and bracelets are presented in a superb array of images. Her understanding of the symbolism sheds light on Asian cultures, while the aesthetic appeal of the items will make this volume irresistible to all jewelry lovers. To make it more accessible, this new paperback edition of the book first published in 2000 concentrates on the colour plates with their illuminating captions, and in a new introduction Anne Richter shows how the historical background has influenced the jewelry.