Racing with Utopia (Collected Speeches and Essays of Grass)

Author: (German) Grass (Grass, G.) wrote, translated by Lin Jia and others
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Grass is one of the most outstanding contemporary German writers. His groundbreaking work The Tin Drum has been translated into dozens of languages and sold nearly 500 million copies. The film adapted from it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1979 and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980. His novels such as The Year of the Dog, Cat and Mouse, Meeting in Teplitz, The Mother Mouse, and The Crab Walk are widely read and acclaimed worldwide. His honors are as numerous as falling leaves, including the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature, as well as the 47th Society Award, the Bremer Award, the Medal of the Free Academy of Arts and Sciences in Hamburg, the Bavarian State Prize for Arts and Sciences, the Büchner Prize, the Fontane Prize, the Thomas Mann Prize, the German Book Peace Prize, the French Best Book Award, the Mondello International Prize for Literature in Italy, the Polish Alexander-Majkowski Gold Medal, the Antonello-Fettinelli International Novel Prize in Rome, the Hidalgo Prize in Spain, the Karel-?apek Prize in the Czech Republic, and the Sonning Prize in Denmark, among dozens of other influential German and international awards. Grass is a versatile writer, not only novels but also poetry and plays. He is also a sculptor and etcher. In recognition of his contributions to literature and the arts, Germany awarded him membership in the Berlin Academy of Sciences and Arts, while universities in the United States, Poland, and many other countries conferred upon him the titles of Honorary Doctor and Honorary Professor. Grass has received so many honors, and apart from his works, his character is also a key factor. He speaks for the common people, and his behavior is just like that of ordinary people. His charm lies in his integrity and courage to speak truth to power. He always stands up for justice and voices his criticism, both domestically and internationally, against the many flaws of modern society. For this reason, in addition to publishing his nine long novels, we have selected 56 of the most outstanding speeches and essays from his three-volume monumental Collected Speeches and Essays, which reflect the author's views and insights on a series of major issues in today's society, politics, military, economy, science and technology, education, culture, and literary arts. These articles can be said to embody the essence of Grass, one of the most outstanding contemporary German writers, and we believe they will also help us understand and explore the unique creative thought trajectory and its context of Grass.