In this volume an international team of scholars assesses the significance of 'Prenzlauer Berg', a remarkable 'alternative culture' which took its name from the run-down area of East Berlin with which it became synonymous. As well as offering a critical overview of this culture, the books presents detailed studies of the work of two major poets with whom it is particularly associated, Elke Erb and Bert Papenfuß-Gorek, and also considers the significance of 'boundary' as one of Prenzlauer Berg's central defining metaphors. There are substantial contributions by three East Germans with significant personal experience of Prenzlauer Berg both before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.