<i>From Germany to Germany</i> contains delightful insights into the process of crafting a novel…the most compelling and enduring evaluation of the complexities of reunification is likely to have come from the pen of Günter Grass the novelist
- Harry de Quetteville, Daily Telegraph
Though Grass spent much of the year engaged in political argument – with others and with himself – there is much else in the book. It is first the record of a man possessed of extraordinary energy, both physical and mental…One cannot but admire his zest for life
- Allan Massie, Scotsman
<i>From Germany to Germany</i> is as earthy and real as <i>The Tin Drum</i>
- Carole Angier, Literary Review
This diary does capture a great moment in time
- Alastair Mabbott, Herald
In 1990, Günter Grass - a reluctant diarist - felt compelled to make a record of the interesting times through which he was living.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the collapse of Communism, Germany and Europe were enduring a period of immense upheaval. Grass resolved to immerse himself in these political debates: he travelled widely throughout both Germanys, the former East and the former West, conducting a lively exchange with political enemies, friends and his own children about all the questions posed by reunification.
His account gives the reader an unparalleled insight into a key moment in the life of modern Europe, seen through the eyes of one of its most acclaimed writers. It also provides a startling insight into the creative process as the reader witnesses ideas for novels occurring and then taking shape.
From Germany to Germany is both a personal journal by a great creative artist and a penetrating commentary on recent European history by someone who was simultaneously an acute observer and a highly engaged participant.