Works of Grass -- Gathering at Tergelt

Author: (German) Grass
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-03-01
Features: In the first half of the 17th century, the conflicts between various religious factions in Germany, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the princes were profound, with continuous clashes. After the Thirty Years' War, a group of writers and intellectuals gathered in the small town of Teplitz. They discussed the past and the present, speaking freely, while exploring serious academic issues such as poetry and drama, they also lamented their own and their country's fate with deep sorrow. Using literature, they plotted for the unification of their homeland, yet amidst their grand discussions, they also engaged in jokes, used vulgar language, and even had extramarital affairs with maids and shopkeepers, "unconcerned with trivialities." In the end, they even drafted a "peace appeal," but a sudden fire destroyed the gathering place and the "appeal," along with all the writers' noble aspirations. The poets, playwrights, and literary theorists described in the novel were all real figures in German history. In the author's portrayal, their shadows are hidden behind some of the most important figures in contemporary German literature. The protagonist of the novel, Simon Dach and Grimmelshausen, are respectively the leader of Germany's most famous literary group "47 Group" in the 1960s, Hans Werner Richter, and the author himself. Using the technique of drawing parallels between the past and the present, the author vividly depicts the activities of the "47 Group" in the 1960s and expresses his deep concern for the nation and its people. This book is one of the author's most successful novels. Published in 1979, it became a bestseller in Germany for a long time.