Half Swimmer

Growing up in East Germany, as the child of an army officer and a teacher, Tanja seems set up to become a model citizen of the GDR. But she has other ideas. And so does the course of history. Half Swimmer is a collection of memories from one life, following a girl as she forges her own identity under the GDR and the capitalism of a unified Germany.


Half Swimmer. A German term for one who has recently learnt to swim but hasn’t yet mastered the technique.

Growing up in 1980s East Germany, as the daughter of an army officer and a teacher, Tanja seems set up to become a model citizen of the German Democratic Republic. Except she has other ideas. And so, it turns out, does the course of history. This is a collection of memories from one life, following a girl as she attempts to forge her own identity under the social pressures of both the GDR, and the capitalism of a unified Germany.


‘Katja Oskamp knows how to capture the essence of people beautifully. They really come to life in her portraits.’ – Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany

Contributor: Jo Heinrich (Translated by)

Translator: Jo Heinrich

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