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In Final Interview, Gunter Grass Warned Against 'War Everywhere'
German writer, who died on Monday, was known by some as the 'conscience of his generation.'
Apr 14, 2015
Nobel-award winning author and social critic Gunter Grass, who died this week at the age of 87, said in his final interview that he worried humanity--now 15 years into the 21st century--could be "sleepwalking" into another world war.
"We have on the one side Ukraine, whose situation is not improving; in Israel and Palestine things are getting worse; the disaster the Americans left in Iraq, the atrocities of Islamic state and the problem of Syria," he told the Spanish newspaper El Pais in the interview, which took place at the author's home in northern Germany on March 21 and was published Tuesday, the day after his death.
"There is war everywhere; we run the risk of committing the same mistakes as before; so without realizing it we can get into a world war as if we were sleepwalking," he added, also expressing concern about climate change and overpopulation.
The novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist, who pushed his fellow Germans to confront even the most controversial aspects of their history, was known by some as the "conscience of his generation."
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Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Nobel-award winning author and social critic Gunter Grass, who died this week at the age of 87, said in his final interview that he worried humanity--now 15 years into the 21st century--could be "sleepwalking" into another world war.
"We have on the one side Ukraine, whose situation is not improving; in Israel and Palestine things are getting worse; the disaster the Americans left in Iraq, the atrocities of Islamic state and the problem of Syria," he told the Spanish newspaper El Pais in the interview, which took place at the author's home in northern Germany on March 21 and was published Tuesday, the day after his death.
"There is war everywhere; we run the risk of committing the same mistakes as before; so without realizing it we can get into a world war as if we were sleepwalking," he added, also expressing concern about climate change and overpopulation.
The novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist, who pushed his fellow Germans to confront even the most controversial aspects of their history, was known by some as the "conscience of his generation."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Nobel-award winning author and social critic Gunter Grass, who died this week at the age of 87, said in his final interview that he worried humanity--now 15 years into the 21st century--could be "sleepwalking" into another world war.
"We have on the one side Ukraine, whose situation is not improving; in Israel and Palestine things are getting worse; the disaster the Americans left in Iraq, the atrocities of Islamic state and the problem of Syria," he told the Spanish newspaper El Pais in the interview, which took place at the author's home in northern Germany on March 21 and was published Tuesday, the day after his death.
"There is war everywhere; we run the risk of committing the same mistakes as before; so without realizing it we can get into a world war as if we were sleepwalking," he added, also expressing concern about climate change and overpopulation.
The novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist, who pushed his fellow Germans to confront even the most controversial aspects of their history, was known by some as the "conscience of his generation."
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