The 20th century was a flourishing period for writers who survived state terror and purges, along with all the moral and political ambiguities that came with it. What was it like during that time? Were they steadfast enough to resist the power? Did they owe their survival to their insight, intelligence, or cunning, their self-belief, their relationships, or their tactical skills? Were there strokes of luck that bordered on miracles, allowing them to escape imprisonment, camps, and death, or were there strategies that ranged from ingratiation to camouflage? If only one could distinguish this so clearly! Hans Magnus Enzensberger approaches the biographies and specific survival strategies of international writers in 99 pointed, consciously subjective portrayals.