Germany

Writer and political essayist Peter Schneider. Schneider's new book, "The German Comedy: Scenes of Life After the Wall," looks at some of the ironic and funny results of the unification of the Germanys. (It's published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux).

German film director Volker Schlöndorff. He just finished the film adaptation of Margaret Atwood's best-selling novel, "The Handmaid's Tale." It stars Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth McGovern, and Robert Duval. Schlondorf's other films include "The Tin Drum," which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, "The Lost Honor of Katherina Blum," and "Swann in Love."

The German-born writer's memoir documents her parents' involvement in World War II. Reichel grew up in Hamburg after the end of the war, as the country dealt with the guilt of its Nazi past. She says the pain of that history was felt by all citizens, even if it was deeply repressed.

The groundbreaking psychoanalyst didn't trust future biographers, even going so far as to destroy some of his personal papers. Nonetheless, historian Peter Gay has found enough material to write his second book on Freud. He joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to talk about Freud's personal life, theories, and views on female sexuality,

The African American diva says she faced few racial barriers in the opera world. She credits the work of black singers who came before her, as well as the myriad performance opportunities available to her in Germany, for helping launch her career.