Books

New York: Pantheon, 1962-1965. First American editions of the author's classic Danzig Trilogy. Octavo, 3 volumes, original cloth. Each work is signed by Gunter Grass on the title page. Each are fine in near fine dust jackets. Dog Years is a review copy, with the slip laid in. Translated by Ralph Manheim. A very sharp set. The Danzig Trilogy begins with the story of Oskar Matzerath and his determination to remain a child. He refuses to speak, only banging on his drum. The surreal chronology and characters give a nerve-wracking description of life under Nazi rule in World War II, and finally to postwar Germany in the 1950's. In 1979, The Tin Drum was adapted into a film which won the Palme d'Or, and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Tin Drum is a novel by Günter Grass, considered one of the author's masterpieces and one of the key novels of the 20th century. The novel is the first book of Grass's Danzig Trilogy, and it tells the story of Oskar Matzerath, a boy who wills himself to stop growing and communicates through his tin drum. The book is a richly imaginative tale that combines history, folklore, and political commentary, presenting a surreal account of the rise of Nazism and the horrors of World War II.