Prison Round Trip

Description

Prison Round Trip was first published in German in 2003 as Einmal Knast und zuruck'. The essay's author, Klaus Viehmann, had been released from prison ten years earlier, after completing a 15-year sentence for his involvement in urban guerrilla activities in Germany in the 1970s. The essay was subsequently reprinted in various forums. It is a reflection on prison life and on how to keep one's sanity and political integrity within the hostile and oppressive prison environment; 'survival strategies' are its central theme.'

Klaus Viehmann spent fifteen years in West German prisons after his arrest in 1978 for various activities carried out by the anarchist 2nd of June Movement. While in prison he wrote an essay that became the centerpiece of the book Drei zu Eins ("Three to One"), published in 1991. The book introduced the concept of "triple oppression"--the interrelations between class, gender and race in oppressive social structures--to a radical German-speaking audience, and proved highly influential, especially in autonomist circles. Since his release Viehmann has been active in various left-wing projects, including solidarity campaigns for World War II forced laborers and Colombian trade unionists. He remains involved in numerous publishing activities, as an author, translator, and a graphic designer. He is also co-editor of two extensive volumes documenting the history of autonomist political poster art in Germany: Hoch die Kampf Dem (1999) and Vorwarts bis zum Nieder Mit (2001). His home is once again Berlin--today officially undivided, but, as he puts it, "a place where a lot needs to be done.