German Author Matthias Jügler Faces Government Scrutiny Over Novella on GDR 'Stolen Children'
German author Matthias Jügler's bestselling novella 'Mayfly Season' has provoked hostile reactions from German government officials. The book, published in Germany in March 2024 and now released in the UK, centers on a man who learns his son, declared dead at birth in the GDR, may have been forcibly adopted. Jügler received a call from a government agency investigating GDR human rights abuses, asking him to justify his sources. An official from Saxony-Anhalt accused him of retraumatizing readers. The director of Leipzig's House of Literature demanded evidence before a reading; Jügler declined. The novella, mostly about fly-fishing, draws on the true story of Karin S, who was told her newborn died but later found evidence suggesting forced adoption. Jügler estimates up to 8,000 forced adoptions occurred in the GDR, with 2,000 suspicious infant deaths. A state-commissioned report in 2026 denied systematic abuse. Jügler's book has won literary prizes and been compared to Claire Keegan's 'Small Things Like These'.
Key facts
- Matthias Jügler's novella 'Mayfly Season' was published in Germany in March 2024.
- The book deals with forced adoptions in the GDR, known as 'stolen children'.
- Jügler received a call from a German government agency investigating GDR human rights abuses.
- An official from Saxony-Anhalt accused the book of causing retraumatisation.
- The director of Leipzig's House of Literature demanded Jügler provide evidence before a reading.
- Jügler declined the invitation to read at Leipzig's House of Literature.
- The story is based on the experience of a woman named Karin S, whose baby was declared dead but may have been forcibly adopted.
- Andreas Laake estimates up to 8,000 forced adoptions and 2,000 suspicious infant deaths in the GDR.
- A state-commissioned report in 2026 concluded there was no systematic, politically motivated forced adoption program.
- The book has won literary prizes and been compared to Claire Keegan's 'Small Things Like These'.
Entities
Artists
- Matthias Jügler
- Claire Keegan
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Katja Hoyer
Institutions
- German government agency investigating GDR human rights abuses
- Saxony-Anhalt's commissioner for the victims of the East German dictatorship
- Leipzig's House of Literature
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
- The Guardian
Locations
- Germany
- East Berlin
- Thuringia
- Unstrut river
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Leipzig
- UK