Siegfried Lenz, together with Heinrich Böll (1917-85 ), Günter Grass (b. 1927) and a group of other German-speaking writers, attained international acclaim as a novelist in the 1960s and beyond. Not unlike some of his fellow authors, Lenz’ novels often focus on life in Germany during National Socialism, the events of World War II, the entanglement of individual lives in the greater historical events, on guilt and collective memory. With the generation of his fellow-writers he shares an acute awareness of the growing pains of the West German state, problems of democratization, and social inequities. His novels are eminently approachable and often present complex characters within settings and conflicts identifiable by a wide readership. Lenz’ books have been translated into many…
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Citation: Schweissinger, Marc J.. "Siegfried Lenz". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 February 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11697, accessed 24 November 2024.]
