The Box
Tales from the Darkroom
Published on 4. November 2010
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-1-84655-307-3 (ISBN)
Description
'Once upon a time there was a father who, because he had grown old, called together his sons and daughters - four, five, six, eight in number - and finally convinced them, after long hesitation, to do as he wished. Now they are sitting around a table and begin to talk...'
In this delightful sequel to Peeling the Onion, Guenter Grass writes in the voices of his eight children as they record memories of their childhoods, of growing up, of their father, who was always at work on a new book, always at the margins of their lives. Memories contradictory, critical, loving, accusatory - they piece together an intimate picture of this most public of men. To say nothing of Marie, Grass's assistant, a family friend of many years, perhaps even a lover, whose snapshots taken with an old-fashioned Agfa box camera provide the author with ideas for his work. But her images offer much more. They reveal a truth beyond the ordinary detail of life, depict the future, tell what might have been, grant the wishes in visual form of those photographed. The children speculate on the nature of this magic: was the enchanted camera a source of inspiration for their father? Did it represent the power of art itself? Was it the eye of God?
The Box is an inspired and daring work of fiction. In its candour, wit, and earthiness, it is Grass at his very best.
In this delightful sequel to Peeling the Onion, Guenter Grass writes in the voices of his eight children as they record memories of their childhoods, of growing up, of their father, who was always at work on a new book, always at the margins of their lives. Memories contradictory, critical, loving, accusatory - they piece together an intimate picture of this most public of men. To say nothing of Marie, Grass's assistant, a family friend of many years, perhaps even a lover, whose snapshots taken with an old-fashioned Agfa box camera provide the author with ideas for his work. But her images offer much more. They reveal a truth beyond the ordinary detail of life, depict the future, tell what might have been, grant the wishes in visual form of those photographed. The children speculate on the nature of this magic: was the enchanted camera a source of inspiration for their father? Did it represent the power of art itself? Was it the eye of God?
The Box is an inspired and daring work of fiction. In its candour, wit, and earthiness, it is Grass at his very best.
Reviews / Votes
It shows that Grass's time isn't over yet and that his narrative energy remains inventive and undiminished -- Paul Bailey * The Spectator * Very clever, very Grass...It is touching and sad; the regret is obvious -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times * Terse, poignant and marvellously vivid -- Miranda Seymour * The Telegraph * it hums with vivacity, boldness and unflagging curiosity -- John Preston * Sunday Telegraph, Seven Magazine * Calling the book original barely does it justice -- Colin Waters * Sunday Herald *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 148 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
380 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84655-307-3 (9781846553073)
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Schweitzer Classification
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Persons
Guenter Grass (1927-2015) was Germany's most celebrated post-war writer. He was a creative artist of remarkable versatility: novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, graphic artist. Grass's first novel, The Tin Drum, is widely regarded as one of the finest novels of the twentieth century, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999.