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More copies of this ISBNThe Box: Tales from the Darkroomby Gunter Grass
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:“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 an audacious literary experiment, Günter 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, Grasss 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? Recalling J. M. Coetzees Summertime and Umberto Ecos The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, The Box is an inspired and daring work of fiction. In its candor, wit, and earthiness, it is Grass at his best. Review:"Functioning both as experimental fiction and as a sequel of sorts to Peeling the Onion, Grass's latest sheds light on a role the revered German author has thus far only touched upon: fatherhood. Grass gathers his eight children--dubbed Patrick, Georg, Lara, Taddel, Lena, Nana, Jasper and Paul--to recount memories of their childhoods and of their often absent father. The conversations are being recorded at the fictional Grass's request, and the memories--and speakers--often overlap as the adult children fall into well-worn patterns of sibling rivalries, though it is Marie, a photographer who is Grass's constant companion and artistic inspiration, who is the dominant presence in the children's memories. Her ever-present camera (the box of the title), the children were convinced, was magic. 'It sees things that weren't there. Or shows you things that you'd never in your wildest dreams imagine. It's all-seeing, my box,' Marie says. Though he controls the puppet strings of his fictionalized progeny, Grass allows their resentments and shared passions to come through as he eloquently opens up his life, once again, to public scrutiny. (Nov.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)
Synopsis:In an audacious literary experiment, Grass writes in the voices of his eight children as they record memories of their childhood, of growing up, of their father, who was always at work on a new book, always at the margins of their lives.
Synopsis:Memories from Grass's children Synopsis:“It is impossible not to be impressed by [Grasss] inexhaustible desire to experiment with the novel and by the many good stories and passages of exquisite writing in The Box.”—Charles Simic, New York Review of Books
In this inspired and daring work of fiction, Günter Grass writes in the voices of his eight children as they record memories of their childhoods, of growing up, and especially of their father, who was always at work on a new book, always at the margins of their lives. Memories contradictory, happy, loving, accusatory—they piece together an intimate picture of this most public of men. To say nothing of Marie, a photographer and 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 than simple replication. They reveal a truth beyond ordinary life, depict the future, tell what might have been, grant the wishes 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? An audacious literary experiment, The Box is Grass at his best. About the AuthorG�NTER GRASS was born in Danzig, Germany, in 1927. He is the widely acclaimed author of numerous books, including The Tin Drum, My Century, Crabwalk, and Peeling the Onion. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999.
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