LESUNG: Die Akte Alma

Come join us for Sabine Welk’s reading on November 6, 2026, at your Hugendubel bookstore in Rostock!

This moving family novel tells the story of Alma, a courageous doctor who stands up to the Stasi’s machinations in the GDR, and her granddaughter, who, decades later, uncovers a long-hidden family secret. With its rich atmosphere and emotional storytelling, *Die Akte Alma* weaves personal destinies with German contemporary history into a captivating tale of courage and the consequences of silence.

About the book:
The GDR beyond the clichés: authentic, nuanced, and told with a powerful atmosphere.
A doctor who takes on the Stasi, and her granddaughter, who breaks the silence decades later.
Rügen, early 1980s: Alma works as a doctor in the psychiatric ward of the polyclinic. What she experiences there leaves her stunned. The system spares neither the doctors nor the patients. Conflicts with her boss, a staunch Party member, intensify. When she refuses to admit dissidents to her closed ward, she comes under the Stasi’s scrutiny. She is told to conform and spy on her colleagues as an “informal collaborator.” Her refusal—and her subsequent application to leave the country—causes the situation to escalate, and the Stasi begins to blackmail Alma. Decades later, Alma’s granddaughter discovers her grandmother’s Stasi file and uncovers an explosive secret. She follows the clues from the past and reveals a truth that could change the lives of the entire family.
“The Alma File” by Sabine Welk is a novel about courage, loyalty, and the quiet decisions that shape a life—and a gripping piece of contemporary history.
For readers of Alena Schröder and Susanne Abel
Based on true events: Sabine Welk, an author living in Greifswald, is fascinated by stories of people who had the courage to stand up to the GDR regime—one such person inspired her novel:
“A teacher friend of mine introduced me to a woman whose life was shaped by the machinations of the Stasi. This dedicated doctor challenged the Stasi system with her determination to be free—and her story is so compelling and important that I simply had to tell it. I told the story not only from her perspective, but also through the eyes of a fictional granddaughter who, looking back from today’s vantage point, asks herself: How would I have acted back then?”
“The Alma File”: Two women, two generations, a harrowing yet redemptive story—a generational novel that shows how the past continues to shape the present.

About the Author:
Sabine Welk, born in Zurich in 1969, moved to the former GDR in the early 1990s—a formative period that continues to influence her writing to this day. She writes historical novels with a focus on the 20th century. This is her first novel published by Piper Verlag. She now lives with her family in Greifswald, across from the island of Rügen.

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