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Berlin Arts
Joseph Pearson 18/12/201723/06/2018

Pretty in Pink. The Renovated Staatsoper in Berlin

After eight years of renovation, the German State Opera House, or Staatsoper, on Unter den Linden, has reopened its doors,

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Living in Berlin
Joseph Pearson 14/11/201723/06/2018

Berlin for Brexiters

In the past year, there has been an enormous surge in views on The Needle’s Moving to Berlin site from

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Berlin and German Politics
Joseph Pearson 22/09/201723/06/2018

Where Germany is Going: a Q&A on Election Weekend

Germany goes to the polls this Sunday, 24 September 2017. What does the campaign tell us about the EU’s largest

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Opinion and Politics
Joseph Pearson 15/09/201723/06/2018

Berlin or Paris? Questions one city asks of the other

“What Paris Looks Like After Berlin” was a post I wrote in 2014 that generated debate among readers. Which city

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Photo by Alex Yoku (2014) Used with Permission from the FIND Festival, Schaubühne, Berlin
Opinion and Politics
Joseph Pearson 28/08/201723/06/2018

Speaking Up for Artistic Freedom in Russia: The Serebrennikov Arrest

Kirill Serebrennikov, a familiar face to the Berlin theatre scene, has been arrested in Russia and will face a show

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Berlin and German Politics
Joseph Pearson 20/08/201723/06/2018

What Germany Does to Fight Nazis

by Joseph Pearson, historian Germany is a country that jumps on Nazis every time they come out of the woodwork. The

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Gay and Queer Berlin
Joseph Pearson 17/08/201723/06/2018

WAS IST POST-GENDER? and CAN BERLIN BE POST-GENDER?

by Joseph Pearson Can Berlin be a post-gender city? And is it willing? What would it mean for spaces in

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Berlin History
Joseph Pearson 13/07/201723/06/2018

Interview with Joseph Pearson about his new book “Berlin”

Today, I’m reprinting a short interview, on the occasion of the publication of my new book, Berlin, with Reaktion Press in London

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Opinion and Politics
Joseph Pearson 30/01/201723/06/2018

Is Trump’s Rule Fascist?

In Trump’s first nine days since assuming the presidency, he has adopted many positions that recall a ‘fascist style of

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Opinion and Politics
Joseph Pearson 20/01/201723/06/2018

Europe After Trump Day: Going Forward

20.01.2017 BERLIN. Where does Trump’s inauguration leave us in Europe? Turning points in history are usually distinguished well after the

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Berlin and German Politics
Joseph Pearson 20/12/201623/06/2018

In Response to Last Night’s Attacks in Berlin

  BERLIN: 20 DEC 2016 (11am). The driver of the truck that killed at least 12 people, and wounded scores more, in

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About the Author

 

Joseph Pearson is a writer and historian based in Berlin. His non-fiction portrait of Berlin was published in 2017. He published a second book, My Grandfather’s Knife, about how everyday objects tell World War Two stories, in 2022. His writing has appeared widely in the press, literary and academic journals, and has been translated into German, Italian, French, Arabic, and other languages. Born in Canada, he was educated at Cambridge University, UK, where he received his doctorate in history in 2001. He works at New York University, Berlin, and at the Barenboim-Said Akademie. Since 2008, he has written The Needle, which has become one of Berlin’s most popular blogs. For professional inquiries please contact his agency, Peters Fraser Dunlop, email him directly   joseph [AT] cantab.net, or visit his professional website: josephpearson.ca

What is The Needle?

The changing meanings of The Needle are the inspiration for these pages. Above Alexanderplatz is Berlin’s television tower. The Needle surveilled the city during East German times like a threatening eye; then its meaning changed after the Berlin Wall fell. Berliners now think of the tower as a giant disco ball flirting with the city lights––a symbol of sex, electronic music and youth culture. This bi-weekly documents the Berlin Renaissance today, mindful of a dramatic and terrifying history. Berlin is Europe’s most exciting city, and The Needle is here to share.

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