Anna Funder author page

Anna Funder biography

Anna Funder is an Australian author known for her works of non-fiction and fiction. Her debut book, Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, was published in 2003 by Text Publishing. The book investigates the lives of people in the former East Germany under the Stasi regime. Stasiland won the 2004 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction and was shortlisted for several other awards, including The Guardian First Book Award and the Index on Censorship Award.

Funder’s first novel, All That I Am, was published in 2011. The novel explores the lives of German-Jewish anti-Hitler activists in exile. All That I Am won the 2012 Miles Franklin Award, the 2012 Barbara Jefferis Award, and the 2012 Australian Book Industry Award for Literary Fiction Book of the Year. It was also longlisted for the 2012 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Her third major work, Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life, was published in 2023. The book examines the life of Eileen O’Shaughnessy, the first wife of George Orwell. Wifedom was published by Viking and received critical attention for its research and narrative approach.

Funder’s books have been published internationally and translated into multiple languages. She has received fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Australia Council. In 2011, Funder was awarded the ASA Medal by the Australian Society of Authors for her contribution to Australian literature.

In 2011, Stasiland was included in the “10 Best Books of the Year” by The New York Times.