Funeral of Günter Grass – From troublemaker to national poet – Süddeutsche.de

As many as four representatives of the State talking to the funeral of Günter Grass in Lübeck. That signaled great appreciation for a poet, the many politicians felt during his lifetime as a pain in the ass.

When talking mainly politicians take friends

From Till Briegleb on the commemoration of a poet, then it is obviously a patriotic act. In the case of Günter Grass, this would, however, has a special lilt, because most Politicians in Germany felt the ever criticizing author’s lifetime, especially as pain in the ass. But the official farewell event in the city of Lübeck Theatre on Sunday afternoon began in the politically little with the Mayor of Lübeck, reaching Monika Grütters, the Minister of State for Culture, the political federal level before John Irving could say only something personal. Four public speakers that suggests clearly the great appreciation transformation from troublemaker to national poet, the Grass passes now definitively, but it also sounds suspiciously like posthumous domestication.

In the presence of German President Joachim Gauck, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel and former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, while not talking, but gave the two-hour Requiem in the city of Lübeck theater the symbolic dimension, but still was not lying shamelessly piety. Both the Christian Democrat Grütters as the Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Torsten Albig from the SPD used almost identical wording to name her discomfort with the “harsh and confrontational” Criticism of Grass. “Endure heavy” was some estimates, they both said, and the unpleasantness of his “eloquence” when the poet once again seized the political anger, found here and there mention. Even the Mayor of Grass’ birthplace Gdansk, Paweł Adamowicz, the fourth political orator concluded in his acceptance speech for the German-Polish understanding work commitment one that he had actually been “too left-wing” of the poet.

The opponent Artist

All the candid confessions in this nationalization started passion were always “yes, but” formulation. Referring to Grass’s “late disclosure” of his SS membership followed in Grütters evaluating as a courageous artist, as “critical corrective democratic politics”. The greatest degree possible cordiality reached this speech marathon state representative, as the Minister called a Jean-Paul Quote Günter Grass a “opponent artist”.

Well in terms of deaths, which had still wished that this Afternoon would a memorial and no funeral, remembering was rather solved. Interrupted by some rather lively baroque sounds, nobody humorous appeals forbade. Least of course John Irving, the amusing memories of the friend and the model lectured. But this brief personal moment followed no further, apart from the poems recited Mario Adorf and Helene Grass.

In particular, the presentation of Grass’ daughter, “I dreamed his dream of the end of life, I would have to say goodbye, “read, created a moment in which the poetic power with the concrete” Adieu “flowed together. In this poem there is the line: “Maybe goodbye cherries ripe”. At least in terms of Günter Grass’ desire to be perceived as a political conscience of the Federal Republic, can be determined by this memorial service say: Yes, maybe these cherries are now ripe

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