During a 1960 interview, East German writer Christa Wolf was asked a
curious question: would she describe in detail what she did on September
27th? Fascinated by considering the significance of a single day over
many years, Wolf began keeping a detailed diary of September 27th, a
practice which she carried on for more than fifty years until her death
in 2011. The first volume of these notes covered 1960 through 2000 was
published to great acclaim more than a decade ago. Now translator Katy
Derbyshire is bringing the September 27th collection up to date with
One Day a Year--a collection of Wolf's notes from the last decade of
her life.
The book is both a personal record and a unique document of our times.
With her characteristic precision and transparency, Wolf examines the
interplay of the private, subjective, and major contemporary historical
events. She writes about Germany after 9/11, about her work on her last
great book City of Angels, and also about her exhausting confrontation
with old age. One Day a Year is a compelling and personal glimpse into
the life of one of the world's greatest writers.