gabriele eckart studied philosophy from 1972 to 1976 at the humboldt university of berlin. she concluded her studies with the completion of her staatsexamen. in 1979 she took part in a writing course at the german literature institute in leipzig. after publishing two collections of her own poetry and a collection of travel memoirs, her next publication was supposed to have been a collection of interviews with people in havelland. small excerpts appeared in 1983 and 1984 in literature magazines in the german democratic republic, but the publication of the entire text, which contained numerous passages critical of relations in the german democratic republic, was prevented by government censorship. the book "so sehe ick die sache" was therefore published openly only in west germany.