Book Presentation and Discussion: “You’re Putting Out the Fire with Gasoline”—On Bans, Expatriation, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall in Wolf Biermann’s Diaries

Cover "Ihr löscht Feuer mit Benzin"

Historian Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk is publishing excerpts from Wolf Biermann’s diaries for the first time. The first volume , *Ihr löscht das Feuer mit Benzin* (*You Put Out the Fire with Gasoline*), portrays the singer-songwriter as a ruthless observer of himself and the political conditions in East and West Germany. Encounters with figures such as Willy Brandt, Robert Havemann, and Rudi Dutschke make the work both a social novel of divided Germany and a source of previously unknown insights into Wolf Biermann’s life. Prof. Dr. Daniela Münkel (Federal Archives – Stasi Records Archive) will moderate the discussion following the event.

Admission is free. Registration is not required, except for the supporting program.



Supporting Program “”
5:00 p.m. Free guided tour of the exhibition “Einblick ins Geheime” at the Stasi Records Archive
Meeting point: Building 7, foyer; Duration: 45 min.
Registration: or by phone at 030 18 665-6770



The book presentation is part of the " Lesebühne" event series.

The event series is organized in cooperation with the Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V.



Unfortunately, access to the event hall is not wheelchair accessible.Translated with DeepL

Price info: Admission is free. Registration is not required, except for the supporting program.

Next date:

• Date Tuesday, 13/October/2026 18:30 bis 20:00
• Venue Stasimuseum - Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte Normannenstraße
• Address Ruschestraße 103, 10365 Berlin-Lichtenberg