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. Noun. 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 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.
Half Swimmer is a collection of vignettes from one life, following a young girl as she attempts to forge her own identity under the social pressures of both the GDR, and the capitalism of a unified Germany.
