Germany’s most well-known writer of the post-war period is dead. As several media reported, Martin Walser died at the age of 96 in Überlingen on Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg. This is reported by the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and ZDF, among others.
The writer was one of the most controversial writers in contemporary literature. He has received several awards for his works. In 1981 Walser received the Georg Büchner Prize, in 1998 he was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and in 2015 the International Friedrich Nietzsche Prize. Well into old age he wrote novels, historical collections, plays, speeches and lectures, among other things. Most recently, the “Tambuch” and the volumes of poetry “Fish and Birds send their greetings” and “Language Leave” were published. Since 1955 Walser has published around 70 short stories and novels.
Walser was born in 1927 as the son of a coal dealer and innkeeper in Wasserburg on Lake Constance. He experienced the end of the Second World War from 1944 to 1945 as a soldier in the Wehrmacht. After the end of the war, Walser embarked on an academic career. He studied literature, history and philosophy in Regensburg and Tübingen. He also worked as an editor, reporter and radio play author at Süddeutscher Rundfunk.
Walser was first awarded in 1955 for the story “Templones Ende” in the collection of stories “Ein Flugzeug über den Haus”. His breakthrough came two years later with his debut novel “Ehen in Philipsburg”.
Martin Walser was also politically active until his death. In the 1960s he criticized the Vietnam War and was seen by many as a leftist. In 1998, in his speech on the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, he opposed the “instrumentalization of Auschwitz. “Auschwitz is not suitable for becoming a routine threat, a means of intimidation that can be used at any time, or a moral bludgeon,” he said and drew criticism.
Walser was married to Katharina Neuner-Jehle and leaves behind four daughters. In addition, Jakob’s biological father is Augstein. However, this only became known in 2009.
According to Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s spokeswoman, the Federal President has already offered his condolences to the family. “With his books, your husband has opened many people’s eyes to the country they live in and the time they live in,” quoted spokeswoman Steinmeier on the Twitter news service, which is now called X. His work spans more than six decades, during which time he had a decisive influence on German literature. “For Martin Walser, writing always meant a commitment to relentless commitment,” explained the Federal President.
As a “pugnacious and idiosyncratic political spirit,” Walser did not shy away from arguments or criticism and repeatedly intervened in social debates with political essays.
Sources: Rohwolt-Verlag, Suhrkamp-Verlag, Tagesschau.de, with AFP
