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Carolin Würfel

Carolin Würfel

The Guardian

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I know why many east Germans vote AfD. And no, it’s not an inherited longing for dictatorship

I know why many east Germans vote AfD. And no, it’s not an inherited longing for dictatorship

The fear that a fascist, far-right movement would rise to power again in Germany has been with me since my youth. On 6 September, the far-right,...

15.09.2026 10

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel

I thought my life would feel sorted when I turned 40. It doesn’t – and that’s OK

In the 1970s, the German novelist Christa Wolf wrote a letter to her friend and fellow author Lew Kopelew, which included these lines: “One stands...

28.07.2026 20

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel

In an Istanbul market, I came across an old German phrase book – and a reminder of how not to speak to migrants

A few weekends ago, I went to the flea market in Bomonti, a neighbourhood on the European side of Istanbul. I go there regularly, and over the years...

28.03.2026 30

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel

I could not forgive the father who left me. Until a chance encounter changed my outlook

31.12.2025 50

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel

How are you? If you’re German, like me, you might struggle to answer

16.12.2025 50

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel

Millennial women were told to chase our dreams. That’s left us burnt out, broke and dreaming of a rich patron

01.08.2025 30

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel

Which political animals will be at Anthony Albanese’s meeting in China?

15.07.2025 40

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel

Women born in East Germany have lived between two worlds. That’s why we’re shaking up art and politics

15.07.2025 40

The Guardian

Carolin Würfel