“She asked about life in Berlin before the fall of the Wall and he told her how in the 1970’s when he first came there to avoid being drafted into the army, living was so cheap money had little importance.

‘Half the refugees of Europe found haven here. Russians touted their war medals and old watches on street corners for pfennigs. Now they’re opening smart galleries selling icons for thousands of dollars under the auspices of a well-organised mafia. In those days we got whatever we needed to furnish our communal flat from what people put out on the pavement one Sunday a month for passers-by to help themselves.’”

Extract from ‘In The Castle Of Love’ – included in the showcase