The case of Herr Grass

Editorial

Gunter Grass, the 78-year-old novelist who has created a niche role as the conscience of Germany, admitted last week that he volunteered for the Waffen-SS, the Nazis' most malevolent arm.

The Nobel laureate for literature has, over 50 years, penned some of the most important works in the German (or any other) language, exploring the guilt and redemption of a nation's evil past.

In light of the admission, the president of Germany's Jewish Council suggested Grass's belated admission may be a "PR strategy"' to sell books. Grass's autobiography came out last week and by the weekend, the first run of 150,000 copies had completely sold out.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said the confession comes "so late from a man who formulated so many high moral claims."

There is something to be said for Grass's defence that, despite withholding the whole truth of his war record, his life since then has been one dedicated to whatever small recompense can be made for those dark times. He has explored morality and evil, from a perspective perhaps more informed than even his most adamant readers had assumed.

In fact, there is a case to be made that, despite his deceit, Grass has devoted his life to settle his debt to fate.

Ultimately, it is not for us to judge. The survivors of SS tortures are the only ones living who can pronounce anything close to absolution, but even they are ill-equipped for the task. Those who might justifiably claim the responsibility to judge Grass have been dead for decades. The verdict on Gunter Grass will be handed down by a higher authority.

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