For sixteen years, Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany and at the forefront of European and international politics. In her memoir, she looks back on her life in two German states—East Germany until 1990, and reunified Germany thereafter. How did she, coming from the East, rise to the top of the Christian Democratic Union to become the first woman to hold the office of chancellor? And how did she then become one of the most powerful heads of government in the Western world? What guided her?

In Freedom, Angela Merkel recounts daily life in the chancellor’s office as well as the dramatic days and nights when she made far-reaching decisions in Berlin, Brussels, and beyond. She traces the long lines of change in international cooperation and reveals the pressure politicians face when seeking solutions to complex problems in a globalized world. Here, she takes us behind the scenes of international politics, demonstrating both the importance of personal conversations and, crucially, their limits.

Reflecting on politics in a time of increasing confrontation and division, Angela Merkel’s memoir offers a unique insight into the inner workings of power—and is a determined and timely plea for freedom.

歐洲民主守護者梅克爾唯一親筆回憶錄
橫跨兩個德國的傳奇人生
收錄珍貴私人照片 台灣同步上市

「我希望讓人們理解政治如何運作，有哪些原則、機制存在，以及是什麼引導著我。」──安格拉．梅克爾

梅克爾的人生宛如一部引人入勝的史詩，橫跨分裂與統一的德國，親身經歷了時代的巨變。她在東德度過35年，從戰後廢墟中成長，在高牆下磨練意志；又在統一後的德國走過35年，親眼見證柏林圍牆倒塌的震撼時刻。最終，她以16年總理生涯寫下傳奇，展現了女性領導者獨特的視角和魄力。

在這部她親筆撰寫的回憶錄《自由》中，梅克爾不僅回顧了執政期間的重大情勢、危機和決策，更深入剖析從政歷程。她描繪了總理府的日常運作，以及在柏林、布魯塞爾等地做出關鍵決策時的戲劇性時刻。梅克爾細膩勾勒出國際合作的演變軌跡，也坦率地揭露了當代政治人物在因應全球化複雜議題所面臨的壓力。

這不是一本傳統的回憶錄，而是一部融合個人細節的敘事作品。梅克爾真誠分享她的成長歷程，從東德物理學家到歐洲最具影響力的女性，其蛻變之路充滿啟發。身為一位東德牧師的女兒，她的經歷為全書增添了獨特的個人色彩。她帶領我們走進國際政治的幕後，展現私人對話可能產生的影響，以及其中的侷限。

《自由》不只是一本書，更是一座橋梁──連接個人與國家、理想與現實。梅克爾深入探討自由的真諦，闡述如何在動盪中守護民主，在挑戰中堅持信念。她反思了在對立日益加劇的時代中，政治行動的可能性與限制。這部回憶錄提供了罕見的視角，讓我們一窺權力核心如何運作，同時也是捍衛自由的有力著作。

▋▍安格拉．梅克爾：
「我很開心能與貝亞特．鮑曼合作完成這本書，藉此回顧我從政生涯中的關鍵決策與重大時刻。透過分享我的個人歷程，我希望能讓更多人了解這段政治生涯背後的故事。」

「對我來說，自由是什麼？我一直都在思索這個問題。當然，從政治層面來上來說，自由需要民主支撐，沒有民主就沒有自由，沒有法治，也就沒有人權的保障。但這個問題也在另一個層面困擾著我。對我來說，自由就是必須探索自己的個人極限所在，並把自己推向極限。自由對我來說，意味著不停地學習，不必停下來，而是可以繼續前進，即使是離開了政治舞台之後。」

▋▍德國Kiepenheuer & Witsch出版社發行人克爾斯汀．格萊巴（Kerstin Gleba）：
「安格拉．梅克爾作為德國首位女性總理，在執政16年期間帶領國家度過多次重大危機。她獨特的行事風格和態度，深刻影響了德國的國際政治與社會發展。這本政治回憶錄為讀者提供了難得的機會，深入了解梅克爾從政的背景和動機，以及她的政治決策形成過程。毫無疑問，這將成為當代國際歷史中的重要文獻。我們很榮幸能夠參與安格拉．梅克爾和貝雅特．鮑曼的創作和出版過程。」

▋▍美國/加拿大St. Martin’s Publishing Group的總裁暨發行人珍妮佛．恩德林（Jennifer Enderlin）：
「能夠出版這位我們時代中最重要領袖之一的回憶錄，對St. Martin's Publishing Group來說是一項榮譽。安格拉．梅克爾分享的經驗與見解，將成為所有關心民主與自由世界者的必讀之作。」

▋▍英國Pan Macmillan的執行長喬安娜．普萊爾（Joanna Prior）：
「安格拉．梅克爾在16年的總理任期中，參與了約百次的歐盟峰會，成為全球最具影響力的女性之一。Pan Macmillan與全球國際夥伴一同取得她政治回憶錄的版權，深感榮幸。這本書的出版將在歐洲及國際歷史上留下重要的一頁。」

16 Jahre trug Angela Merkel die Regierungsverantwortung für Deutschland, führte das Land durch zahlreiche Krisen und prägte mit ihrem Handeln und ihrer Haltung die deutsche und internationale Politik und Gesellschaft. Doch natürlich wurde Angela Merkel nicht als Kanzlerin geboren. In ihren gemeinsam mit ihrer langjährigen politischen Beraterin Beate Baumann verfassten Erinnerungen schaut sie zurück auf ihr Leben in zwei deutschen Staaten – 35 Jahre in der DDR, 35 Jahre im wiedervereinigten Deutschland. Persönlich wie nie zuvor erzählt sie von ihrer Kindheit, Jugend und ihrem Studium in der DDR und dem dramatischen Jahr 1989, in dem die Mauer fiel und ihr politisches Leben begann. Sie lässt uns teilhaben an ihren Treffen und Gesprächen mit den Mächtigsten der Welt und erhellt anhand bedeutender nationaler, europäischer und internationaler Wendepunkte anschaulich und präzise, wie Entscheidungen getroffen wurden, die unsere Zeit prägen. Ihr Buch bietet einen einzigartigen Einblick in das Innere der Macht – und ist ein entschiedenes Plädoyer für die Freiheit.

The long-awaited memoir by one of the most important political leaders of our time

For 16 years, Angela Merkel bore the governmental responsibility for Germany, leading the country through numerous crises and shaping German and international politics and society with her actions and attitude. But Angela Merkel was not born a Chancellor. In her memoirs, co-written with her long-standing political advisor Beate Baumann, she looks back on her life in two German states – 35 years in the GDR (German Democratic Republic), 35 years in reunified Germany. More personally than ever before, she talks about her childhood, youth, and her studies in the GDR, and the dramatic year of 1989, when the Wall fell and her political life began. She shares insights into her meetings and conversations with the world's most powerful leaders and elucidates, with clear and precise examples, significant national, European, and international turning points and how decisions were made that shape our times. Her book offers a unique insight into the inner workings of power – and is a decisive plea for freedom.


“What does freedom mean to me? This question has occupied me my entire life. Naturally, politically, because freedom needs democratic conditions, without democracy there is no freedom, no rule of law, no protection of human rights. But this question also occupies me on another level. Freedom, for me, is finding out where my own limits are, and pushing my own limits. Freedom is for me not to stop learning, not to have to stand still but to be allowed to continue, even after leaving politics.” - Angela Merkel

'A great accomplishment . . . A wonderful reflection of an extraordinary sweep of history' – Barack Obama

For 16 years, Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany. She led the country through numerous crises, shaping both Germany and international politics with her actions and attitudes. In her memoirs, co-written with her long-time political advisor Beate Baumann, she reflects on her life in two German states – 35 years in the German Democratic Republic and 35 years in reunited Germany.

More intimately than ever before, she talks about her childhood, youth, and studies in the GDR and the dramatic year of 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and her political life began. She also shares recollections and insights from her meetings and conversations with the world's most powerful people.

Discussing significant national, European, and international turning points, she shows how the decisions were made that shaped our times. Her book offers a unique insight into the inner workings of power – and is a compelling plea for freedom.

'Remarkable' – Financial Times

'Illuminating' – The New York Times Book Review