“Every
story I write starts with a dilemma or a theme. Once I am convinced that this
is the issue that is perturbing my thoughts, I start to look for characters
capable of representing it.” – Siegfried Lenz
A native of the East Prussian region
of Germany, Lenz was born on this date in 1926 and grew up during the war
years, ultimately becoming a writer of novels, short stories and essays as well
as dramas for radio and the theatre.
An
“internationalist” and strong peace advocate, he started writing for the German
newspaper Die Welt before focusing on
his creative writing as part of a writers group that encouraged
democracy, free expression and confrontation with Germany’s Nazi past.
Lenz’s most well-known and
acclaimed novel, The German Lesson,
is a remarkable reflection on that era.
A late 1960s international best seller, it moved him to the forefront of
German postwar writers and was translated into several other languages.
Lenz
insisted that memories and the past be accepted 
and honestly recounted, no
matter how disgraceful they might be. A
meticulous writer who agonized over each word, he once noted, “I read what I write over and over and make
corrections and improvements, until I reach the conclusion that the material
deserves to stand on its own.” Lenz died
in 2014.
and honestly recounted, no
matter how disgraceful they might be. A
meticulous writer who agonized over each word, he once noted, “I read what I write over and over and make
corrections and improvements, until I reach the conclusion that the material
deserves to stand on its own.” Lenz died
in 2014.
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