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Wolf Biermann: 90th birthday and 50th anniversary releases

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2026-10-29 19:07 UTC → 2026-11-03 23:12 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Singer-songwriter and author Wolf Biermann is marking his 90th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his expatriation from East Germany with several major ~~releases.~~ releases and events. In mid-November, he is scheduled to release the album ‘Unterm Haar nur Himmel’, a collection of 16 previously unreleased songs recorded at Clouds Hill studio. The tracks address geopolitical themes, including conflicts in Vietnam, Iran, Ukraine, and Israel, utilizing self-irony to distinguish between the ‘peace of freedom’ and the ‘peace of the graveyard’ found in dictatorships. On October 7, Penguin-Verlag ~~is releasing~~ released the first volume of his diaries, ‘Ihr löscht das Feuer mit Benzin. Tagebücher – Über Verbot, Ausbürgerung und Mauerfall’. Edited by historian Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, the diaries cover 1961 to 1990, offering a personal perspective on his life between the GDR, his exile, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Biermann used these records to contest regime accusations that he betrayed socialist values, which he characterized as ‘a lie on short legs.’ ~~Additionally, a~~ A new documentary directed by Jens Meurer, titled ‘Biermann – Warte nicht auf bess’re Zeiten’, has premiered in cities including Cologne, Leipzig, and Vienna. The film provides a chronological account of Biermann’s life, tracing his journey from his upbringing in the East to his 1976 Cologne concert that led to his expatriation from the GDR. The documentary explores his life in exile, his Jewish ancestry, and his eventual return to Germany, including his 1989 performance in Leipzig and a 1990 confrontation with 30,000 people in Erfurt. It features interviews with figures such as Armin Mueller-Stahl and former German President Joachim Gauck, while detailing the Stasi ‘decomposition measures’ used against him. To celebrate his upcoming 90th birthday on November 15, Biermann performed a celebratory concert at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, featuring guests such as Campino from Die Toten Hosen and comedian Otto Waalkes. He is also scheduled to perform in Leipzig on November 20.

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