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SS past not forgiven as Grass celebrates 80th birthday in Gdansk
CBC News ^ | 10/04/2007

Posted on 10/05/2007 3:48:56 AM PDT by Argentine-Firecracker

Three days of celebrations began Thursday in Gdansk, Poland, to mark the 80th birthday of German novelist Guenter Grass, but all is not forgiven in Grass's hometown.

His admission earlier this year that, as a teenager, he had served in the Waffen-SS, the combat arm of Adolf Hitler's notorious paramilitary organization, has cast a pall over the celebrations.

German writer and Nobel Prize laureate Guenter Grass, shown in September 2005, sent letters of explanation to the mayor of Gdansk, his birth city, and former Polish president Lech Walesa after the revelation that he had served in the SS. (Kai-Uwe Knoth-File/Associated Press) Poland was invaded by Germany at the outset of the Second World War, during which nearly six million Poles, half of them Jews, died.

Grass, author of The Tin Drum and Dog Years, began his visit to the Baltic port with a political message urging Poles to get out and vote in elections called after their government collapsed.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbc.ca ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: germany; guentergrass; poland
"A huge turn out in the elections would be the most beautiful gift for me," said Grass, who will turn 80 on Oct. 16.

Rather pompous, if you ask me.

On another note, Gdansk is a beautiful city.

1 posted on 10/05/2007 3:48:58 AM PDT by Argentine-Firecracker
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To: Argentine-Firecracker

Very true about Gdansk, I cannot deny. I invite all Freepers, to come here :)


2 posted on 10/06/2007 3:03:13 PM PDT by Lukasz
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To: Argentine-Firecracker

Shouldn’t Grass be on trial for something?


3 posted on 10/06/2007 3:12:52 PM PDT by decimon
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