The first volume of the working journal of Volker Braun, who lives in East Berlin, ends on the last day of the year 1989. It showcases how the prose writer, essayist, poet, and playwright persistently follows his literary path with his genuine themes and corresponding forms. Starting in 1990, the demands on Volker Braun's work change radically. An author for whom radical equality is one of the driving forces behind his diverse productivity must orient his work towards a social system that denies his goals. Ultimately, someone like him, who fights against this with his literary means—despite being awarded the Georg Büchner Prize—must expect that his production conditions will erode: the audience, the stages, the media. The new installment of "Werktage" deserves even more respect: here it is to be explored.