German critics. Most of Germany disliked this novel for its unequivocal condemnation of the country’s past, present, and future. Grass has been a long-time participant in Social Democratic Party politics in West Berlin. He has always been fighting for social and literary causes. He is usually opposed and ridiculed for his standings. He has published many political speeches and essays in which he has advocated a Germany free from fanaticism and totalitarian ideologies (“Grass”). A British author, Salman Rushidie, called Grass, “The greatest European novelist of the second half of the century.” He is considered Germany’s best known, postwar writer.Throughout his lifetime Grass has received many awards and prizes, among these are the Preis der Gruppe 47 in 1958, “Le meilleur livre etranger” in 1962, the Buchner Prize in 1965, the Fontane Prize in 1968, Premio Internazionale Mondello in 1977, the Alexander-Majakowski Medal in 1979, the Antonio-Feltrinelli Prize in 1982, and the GroBer Literaturpreis der Bayerischen Akademie in 1994. Grass has also received doctorates from Kenyon College and the Universities of Harvard, Poznan, and Gdansk (“Grass”). He was also elected President of Berlin Academy of Arts and served for three years.In October of 1999 the seventy-one-year-old writer received the Nobel Prize for his achievements in the literary category. His strong political standings, which are often unpopular, prevented him from getting this well deserved award earlier. Grass is still writing and speaking to this day. ...
