Katja Hoyer


Katja Hoyer is a German-British historian, journalist and writer.

Life and career

Hoyer was born in Guben, East Germany, where her mother was a teacher and her father an East German military officer. She received a Master's degree from the University of Jena and moved to the United Kingdom in about 2010.
Hoyer is a visiting research fellow at King's College London and has published two books about the history of Germany. She is also a journalist for The Spectator, The Washington Post, ''Times Literary Supplement, UnHerd, and Die Welt.
Her first book, Blood and Iron, about the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, was well reviewed, even though some reviewers suggested that she had played down the negative aspects of the period and of Otto von Bismarck's legacy. Her second book, Beyond the Wall'', about the history of East Germany from 1949 to 1990, was well reviewed in the United Kingdom, but less well received in Germany.
Hoyer is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Works

Books

  • Blood and Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German Empire 1871–1918
  • ''Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949–1990''

    Articles

  • "Life in East Germany: the cultural evolution behind the Iron Curtain"
  • "What's 'wrong' with east Germany? Look to its long neglect by the wealthy west"
  • "There's only one way to keep Germany's far-right AfD at bay. Address the concerns it exploits."

    Film

  • Hoyer is acting as Lead Historical Adviser and Technical Consultant for upcoming Cold War biopic Whispers of Freedom, based on the true story of Chris Gueffroy.