Click on cover image to purchase a copy
MWSA Review
Free Air Berlin: Of a Wall and a Walnut Tree presents a riveting view of post-World War II Berlin, Germany. Richard Eric Johnson, a historian of Germany, Berlin, and The Wall, brings these uncertain days to life through poetry from the viewpoints of those in West Germany as well as East Germany. Johnson divides the book into four parts: I. 1945-1961 Wall on the Way; II. August 12-13, 1961 Wall Under Way; III. 1961-1989 Wall in the Way, and IV. 1989 Onward Wall Gone Away.
Each section of poems offers not only what was happening but how people were feeling about what was happening. The aftermath of the war details bombed out cathedrals and “hunched figures exploring somber ruins.” The use of alliteration and poetic images paints vivid word pictures of a surreal landscape such as “spirits needing no walls / seeking free air in this / stench of low tide beach / very few tears / left to give.” And, “hot war rubble.” In Part II, on the day of “Barbed Wire Sunday,” Johnson shows us; “children roller skate / families picnic / tour the zoo / admire fairytale fountains.” But as the barbed wire is rolled out, the Cold War is on, “through flood light / beneath between tracer fire / shepherd dogs / mines and sharp wire.”
Part III is the largest section of poems in the book where a white line is painted around the divide within the city of Berlin. The Wall goes up. Life in a deadly divided city is portrayed from both sides. Families are separated and cannot visit each other; “cold heart finger tips / trigger-touch guns / silent wet eyes / lips blow kisses / across the wall. “The death strip always humming / like a field of insects.” The images presented are powerful and convey the heartbreak of innocent people caught in this divide over war, territory, and politics.
Part IV begins with the reawakening of Berlin as the wall comes down and people reunite and emerge… “open the dead end streets / every interconnection of rails /form up / a new herd of hope.” “All through Berlin / love parade.” Everyone celebrates.
Throughout the book, the reader can feel the oppression, snipers, checkpoints, imprisonment, yet still the “air is free.” Not everything can be taken away so there is still hope, encouragement. The poems show us aspects of German guards of the East and the West; everyday people, and places, offering slices of history. The are many breathtaking images: “terror tethered together;” “kiss the devil’s happy clown,” “all gospels need gossip.” These are vivid images that put the reader into the scene. Johnson’s poetry takes us through these years not only with facts but offering a window into the people who were affected.
Review by Annette Grunseth (May 2023)
Author's Synopsis
Free Air Berlin: Of a Wall and a Walnut Tree is a poetic history and memoir tale of the Berlin Wall. The book relates fascinating stories of veterans and citizens who lived within the Wall and inside the Iron Curtain. The book flows from an Alpha of despair and fear to an Omega of an Ode to Joy.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre:Poetry—Poetry Book
Number of Pages:99
Word Count:4000