The Danzig Trilogy

Having finished reading the three novels in Günter Grass' Danzig Trilogy (The Tin Drum - Cat and Mouse - Dog Years ) I cannot honestly say that I am close to fully understanding this monumental work. As I wrote earlier regarding The Tin Drum , the protagonist of the first novel, Oskar Matzerath writes his memoirs while confined to a German mental institution, and it's difficult understanding which portions of the novel Grass wants us to accept as "true" and how much of what Matzerath writes is to be considered part of his mental illness.

Part of that question is answered in the other two novels where there is mention of a three year old boy who plays a tin drum. Evidentially, we are expected to suspend reality and accept that Oskar somehow maintains his 3 year old body into adulthood.

For the most part, the events in the three novels occur in the Free City of Danzig during the Second World War, although there is some mention of other places and other times.

Oskar Matzerath and his "presumptive father" Alfred Matzerath appear in all three novels, although their appearances in the second and third novels are minor.

One character who does play a significant part in books two and three is the young girl, Tulla Pokriefke. In Cat and Mouse we learn a little about Tulla's personality. The best way to describe her in that book is "unruly". As a teen, the girl encourages teenage boys to masturbate while she watches. However, it is in the third novel that we learn the full extent of Tulla Pokriefke's character - or rather lack of character as she is decidedly evil in Dog Years . Her treatment of Jenny is despicable.

Of the three, Cat and Mouse is my favorite. In The Tin Drum , it's difficult understanding what's "real" and what isn't. I had some difficulty understanding many of the allegories in Dog Years , and there are also several references to political events in Germany during the 1950s which often go over my head.

In 1999, the Swedish Academy awarded Günter Grass the Nobel Prize in Literature and when I understand what he's trying to say, I can appreciate his great writing ability. Unfortunately, there is much in Grass's writing which I can't claim to fully understand.