Author Description

Although Günter Grass's novel Der Butt was one of his most important and best-known works, it has not received the critical acclaim enjoyed by his other novels. These seven essays address the complexity of Der Butt's criss-crossing themes and nebulous narrator, who, throughout the story, fluctuates between a bizarre past and the present. Based on a series of discussions that explore the key issues and techniques of Der Butt, the essays present individual perspectives on Grass's artistry and provide new insight into the meaning of the heart of the novel: the interplay of history and sexual warfare.