Günter de Bruyn

[Liam]

Günter de Bruyn (1926-) is another prolific German author, famous for lucid, realist novels and stories often based on autobiographical experiences. He was, it should be noted, a German soldier during WWII: an experience which had probably provided some impetus to his career as a writer.

I hadn't heard of him, I'm ashamed to say, until yesterday, .

Has anyone read something by him and what would you recommend?

[Eric]

This is not exactly the first time that Günter de Bruyn has been mentioned on these threads. Mirabell mentioned him in about 2009 and I have indeed read a few essays by him. He was one of those quiet authors living in the GDR, who didn't adopt complicated dissident-conformist poses, but simply wrote about the March of Brandenburg and other things. Whether he can win the Nobel is something I do not know. But he is classical, rather than controversialist in his approach to reality.

I have two of his books on my shelves, largely unread:

- Zwischenbilanz - Ein Jugend in Berlin

and

- Vierzig Jahre - Ein Lebensbericht

Someone who has experience Nazi Berlin and WWII as a teenager and then the GDR is worth reading. And as I say, he writes in a calm, classical and non-histrionic style.