He was awarded the nobel prize for literature in 1999. Gunter grass was born in gdansk, poland on october 16, 1927 to a german father and kashubian mother. Through the flounder, taken from the fairy story the fisherman and his wife, grass analyses the battle of the sexes with characteristic insight and humour. This work rendered into english from the german by ralph manheim, who provides a prefatory note. For businessexclusive pricing, quantity discounts and downloadable vat invoices. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Lifted from their ancient fairytale, the fisherman and his wife are still living today. Because of grasss singular storytelling virtuosity, icat and mousei is marvelously entertaining, powerful, and full of funny episodes. The flounder by gunter grass, first edition abebooks. He was injured in the second world war and also kept captive as a prisoner of war from 19441946 after which he worked as a. Gunter grass, who confronted germanys past as well as his. Gunter grass was in the waffen ss survey of reactions to disclosure of time in the waffenss from the german and international press a b gunter grass.
But the whole concept of the novel is something baffling a talking fish gives advice to the reincarnations of a man and his cookwife in the areas near danzig, and the fish is accused by a gang of radical feminists that he has altered the course of history by. Gunter grass what must be said the german nobel prize winning writer, gunter grass, has passed away at the age of 87 in the german city of lubeck. Another book, the flounder, was also chosen by time as one of the best fiction works of 1978. The flounder by gunter grass meet your next favorite book. As a teenager, he served as a drafted soldier from late 1944 in the waffenss and was taken as a prisoner of. A masterpiece by one of the most gifted and original of contemporary writers. The flounder is spared, advice is regularly dispensed.
In this highly original novel, gunter grass tells a tale of a talking fish, caught in the stone age, and the fisherman who caught it. Before gunter grasss latest novel appeared in germany in 1977, it had raised great expectation among critics and readers. Grass was born in the free city of danzig now gdansk, poland. Only a churlish, insular reader could fail to respond to its bold and exhilarating historical sweep, its poetic celebration of food and the arts of cooking new statesman. Of all that ends by gunter grass nook book ebook barnes. The author had been at work on it for five years and had promised it. A man of remarkable versatility, grass was a poet, playwright, social critic, graphic artist, and novelist.
Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. No stranger to controversy, the writer, who was born in the free city of danzig now gdansk in poland. Gunter grass contemplates his mortality and the fate of a world hes soon to depart. Apr, 2015 gunter grass, the nobel prize winning novelist playwright and poet, has died aged 87. The flounder is an epic creation myth, seen through the eyes of an everreincarnated man, and his everreincarnated woman who is always a cook. A final book like no other from the nobel prizewinning author of the tin drum. Grass came up with the idea for the book while campaigning in the late 1960s for the politician willy brandt. Gunter grass books list of books by author gunter grass. Jun 27, 2002 in the flounder 1977 grass appeared even more flippant when it came to rape. Gunter grass project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Dec 06, 2016 the final work of the nobel prize winner gunter grassa witty and elegiac series of meditations on writing, growing old, the world in spite of the trials of old age, and with the end in sight, suddenly everything seems possible again. It all begins in the stone age, when a talking fish is caught by a fisherman at the very spot where millennia later grasss home town, danzig, will arise.
Like the fish, the fisherman is immortal, and down through the ages they move together. Written in the first person, the novel is a long chronicle in which every aspect of this war is examined by the author. The victim, sibylle miehlau, had been raped once before, when she was 14, by three, or. Grasss first novel, the tin drum, is widely regarded as one of the f. Flounder by grass, gunter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. His book local anaesthetic was chosen as one of the ten best books of 1970 by time magazine.
Dog years in this vast novel, packed with incident, gunter grass traces the dark labyrinth of the german mentality as it developed during the rise, fall, and aftermath of the third reich. The flounder by grass, gunter, 1927publication date 1978. The final work of the nobel prize winner gunter grass a witty and elegiac series of meditations on writing, growing old, the world in spite of the trials of old age, and with the end in sight, suddenly everything seems possible again. He was injured in the second world war and also kept captive as a prisoner of war from 19441946 after which he worked as a miner and a farm laborer. He was a creative artist of remarkable versatility. Grass has his trademark humor and historical wisdom here. Gunter grass 19272015 was germanys most celebrated postwar writer. In his younger years, grass was a member of hitler youth.
Amazon web services scalable cloud computing services. Grass has been honored many times, including a distinguished service medal from the federal republic of germany in 1980 which he refused to accept. Translated into english from the german by ralph mannheim. The flounder is grasss teacher par excellence and with him the question, hinted at in local anaesthetic, can one trust ones teacher, is explicit. During the months of ilsebills pregnancy, the fisherman tells her of his adventures through time with the flounder, constituting a. He does so with morbid wit and more than a trace of sorrow the message of this moving collection is clear. It all begins in the stone age, when a talking fish is caught by a fisherman at the very spot where millennia later grass s home town, danzig, will arise.
Alex hamilton talks to the versatile german author about his bestselling book on european history and the culture. The flounder is grass s teacher par excellence and with him the question, hinted at in local anaesthetic, can one trust ones teacher, is explicit. The flounder serves as a mentor to man, and points out how man can overthrow what was female domination in ancient times. Gunter grass 19272015, germanys most celebrated contemporary writer, attained worldwide renown with the publication of his novel the tin drum in 1959. Distraught, the flounder waits until the 1970s, now jumps into a boat full of womenslibbers, and throws himself upon their mercy. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Gunter grass on his new book the flounder alex hamilton tue oct 2015 00. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author.
Illustrated throughout with relief plates after etchings made from original drawings by gunter grass. Grasss first major novel in 15 years and one of the most exuberantly inventive works in recent european fiction. The flounder 1977 by gunter grass september 15, 2014 march 29, 2020 j. The flounder by gunter grass overdrive rakuten overdrive. It all begins in the stone age, when a talking fish is caught by a fis. To create the tin drum, the theatre company spent two weeks tucked away in a cluttered rural retreat where they eat, run and rehearse together just dont call. Review of the flounder by gunter grass louis hemmi. Gunter grass, says the times, is on his own as an artist, and indeed this extraordinary, provoking and joyously rabelaisian celebration of life, food an. Apr, 2015 gunter grass wrote more than 30 plays, novels, books of poems, essays and memoirs. Facebook is shit someone who has 500 friends, has no friends.
He was born in the free city of danzig now gdansk, poland. In the flounder 1977 grass appeared even more flippant when it came to rape. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. They bring him up before a special womens tribunal for his crimes. The flounder is a rich and multilayered novel, redolent with good food, laced with poetry and spiced with wit and humour. With the flounder, gunter grass creates a character whose combination of intelligence, amorality, selfirony, and curiosity makes him almost the equal of oskar in the tin drum. Gunter grass, says the times, is on his own as an artist, and indeed this extraordinary, provoking and joyously rabelaisian celebration of life, food and sex is unique. In a work of great originality, germanys most eminent writer examines the victories and terrors of the twentieth century, a period of astounding change f. This accolade from the prestigious organization cannot be more aptly considered than gunter grass masterpiece the flounder.