Lesebühne: Clemens Böckmann - Was du kriegen kannst

In the organizer's words:

On November 18, 2025, author Clemens Böckmann will be a guest at the Stasi. Campus for Democracy to present his highly acclaimed book "Was du kriegen kannst". Based on real events, the novel tells the story of a woman who was targeted by the Stasi as a sex worker.

Her Stasi files describe Uta as "tall", "slim", "very intelligent and also very sophisticated". They call her "man-hungry" and note that she "smokes a lot and also consumes a lot of alcohol". But is that all there is to it? How can you describe a person full of hope and lust who gets caught up in the contradictions of her time?

Uta was a sex worker in the GDR and the East for over forty years. Targeted by the state security service since 1971, she was both perpetrator and victim. In Clemens Böckmann's disturbing novel, he, she and the files recount a life together. There is no truth about the GDR or the exploitation of women - but there is attention for a person forgotten by everyone.


Free admission.
With Clemens Böckmann (author) and Dr. Steffi Brüning (Rostock Documentation and Memorial Centre)


The book presentation is part of the reading stage event series. The event series is organized in cooperation with the Federal Archives - Stasi Records Archive.