It all begins in the Stone Age, when a talking fish is caught by a fisherman at the very spot where millennia later Grass's home town, Danzig, will arise. Like the fish, the fisherman is immortal, and down through the ages they move together. As Grass blends his ingredients into a powerful brew, he shows himself at the peak of his linguistic inventiveness. Translated by Ralph Manheim. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book
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"A masterpiece by one of the most gifted and original of contemporary writers. It is a book that will repay study and rereading. Only a churlish, insular reader could fail to respond to its bold and exhilarating historical sweep, its poetic celebration of food and the arts of cooking" New Statesman "Grass spices his potent brew with a juicy concoction of tales and anecdotes, and a rich, Rabelaisian humour" Daily Telegraph "I know of no one else capable of writing anything like it" Sunday Times "Grass is one of the few great writers in Europe today" Sunday Telegraph
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Language Notes
Text: English, German (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
Born in Danzig, Germany, in 1927, Günter Grass is a widely acclaimed author of plays, essays, poems, and numerous novels. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I read this book when it first came out (1980?), and have read, in English or German, 4 other novels by GG. All were wonderful, but this was my favorite. It's "magic realism" that's both thought-provoking and very entertaining, and so well-written and translated. It's really too bad that it's out of print.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By roan
Format:Paperback
Truly an epic journey. The story combines many themes and just as many characters. One must read about half to get a grasp on the reins and after that, it's fun. Cooking and copulation play large roles. All the talk about soup and the endless mushrooms are fantastic. Throughout the text are poems and songs. At first, they don't seem to relate. But one comes to expect them after a time. This is a big change from the style of the Danzig trilogy, much more modern. Grass makes some interesting points about guilt and shame (defecation circles, sleeping with the abbess.) The last few scenes are tremendous. Supposedly, this was Grass' present to himself. The terrific ending must reveal an optimist side to him.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
An outstanding statment by Grass on history, feminism, cooking and Joycean bodily details which encapsulates the obssession by the Germans of systems, machoness and abstractions that have led to disaster. But the book is a balanced look at the effects of excess feminism as well.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Self-Consciously Creative
"Doesn't it strike you as poor taste, defendant Flounder, to come here and crack literary jokes at the expense of the world's oppressed women? Read more
Published on September 16, 2010 by Yothgoboufnir
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth the effort
You say: a profound examination of gender politics deftly woven into a farce of German society, with interesting use of food politics as a metaphor. Read more
Published on May 31, 2009 by Gregory Baird
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Exactly Sashimi Quality
Gunter Grass, I love you, but "The Flounder" just isn't a sashimi quality piece of fish. It's really more something out of the frozen food section. Read more
Published on July 6, 2007 by S. Singer
1.0 out of 5 stars
Grass' weakest effort, by far
Gunter Grass, The Flounder (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977)
I just couldn't get through it. I can't really put my finger on why, but there it is. Read more
Published on April 5, 2001 by Robert P. Beveridge
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 24
books:
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- Cc The Fisherman And His Wife by Brothers Grimm on 4 pages
- Marco Polo (Explorers (Abdo Publishing Company)) by Kristin Petrie in Front Matter, page 20, and page 348
- The Fisherman and His Wife by Jacob Grimm in Front Matter, page 20, and page 348
- The Fisherman And His Wife (Rabbit Ears: a Classic Tale) by Wilhelm Grimm in Front Matter, page 20, and page 348
- Yom Kippur by Norma Simon on page 93
See all 24 books this book cites
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