Marianna Evenstein

 Born in / Languages:

I was born and raised in New York City – one of the most culturally diverse places in the world. Like many others in my hometown, I am a child of immigrants. My parents came to the US from the former Soviet Union, and at home we spoke Russian. I learned English at school, followed by Hebrew and German.

Degrees/Journalistic experience:

After completing my studies in Comparative Literature and Philosophy at New York University, I was awarded a Fulbright grant to Germany and have lived here ever since.

With DW since:

I began my journalistic career at DW Radio’s English Service in 2003, joining the news and current affairs department in Bonn as a reporter, host and correspondent.  In 2008, I made the jump to television news, moving to Berlin to join DW TV. 

Favorite quote:

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,      
Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think;”

 (Lord Byron)

My personal hero:

Definitely my husband, a lawyer for refugees in Berlin.

What do I strive to be as a journalist?

As a journalist, I strive to be inquisitive, accurate, and careful to avoid jumping to conclusions.

7 novels that had a profound impact on me (in no particular order)

• Death in Venice, Thomas Mann
• The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
• The Waves, Virginia Woolf
• The God of Small Things, Arundathi Roy
• The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner
• The Passion, Jeanette Winterson
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer