THE GIRL AND THE FIVE-MARK COIN – Growing Up on St. Pauli

  • A compelling story of a woman's rise from Hamburg's red light district to an elite school in Paris.
  • English sample translation available.

Sociologist Tanja Bogusz shares her touching and vivid experiences growing up in Hamburg's red-light district St. Pauli. She tells stories of her grandmother Klasina, a Dutch immigrant who became a female wrestler in Hamburg, and her mother Barbara, who fled an abusive orphanage to join Klasina in the neighborhood and later worked as a barmaid in the 1970s. Barbara wanted to give Tanja a better life and achieved financial independence, which was rare for women at the time. Though Barbara challenged Tanja, she also trusted her abilities. Tanja learned autonomy and determination, which led her to an academic career.

"Tanja Bogusz tells her story like a novel. You are drawn in from the very first page [...]. An autobiographical, dense narrative." Deutschlandfunk Kultur

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Polaris
  • Release: 16.07.2024
  • ISBN: 978-3-499-01540-3
  • 224 Pages
  • Author: Tanja Bogusz

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THE GIRL AND THE FIVE-MARK COIN – Growing Up on St. Pauli
Tanja Bogusz THE GIRL AND THE FIVE-MARK COIN – Growing Up on St. Pauli
Andrea Kueppers
© Andrea Kueppers
Tanja Bogusz

Tanja Bogusz , is a sociologist and researcher at the University of Hamburg. She studied under Pierre Bourdieu in Paris, was a Fellow at New York University , and held visiting professorships in Berlin, Paris, and Kassel. She's also the eponym of a South Pacific sea snail. She has published scholarly books with reputable publishers like Campus and Springer Nature .