I am not disturbed about Messrs. Grass, Lenz and Walser (leading German novelists) having been part of the Nazi machinery before coming of age. The exact circumstances of their involvement are nebulous, hard to research and it is not unlikely that they were excusably tricked or forced into compliance.
What does worry me is the fact that all three of them - self-styled and hugely acclaimed upholders of moral standards in Germany, mandatory reading to generations of force-fed pupils - never seriously analysed the deeper roots of totalitarianism.
After the war, they were quick to seek the public stage as energetic and enduring proponents of the idea that dominates modern Germany to this day: there can be a good variant of socialism and we should adopt it.
Walser was even a supporter of the DKP, the West German communist party.
These leading Moralapostel ("moralizers") have not learned a thing from the past, building reputations and fortunes by beating a dead horse: national socialism. The subtle continuity or re-emergence of totalitarian structures in Germany has never entered their purview.
The terms "politically correct" and "politically opportune" are synonymous. In their dotage now, these gentlemen have never had much else but "political correctness" to steer them through life. Whether keeping silent about their Nazi-past, condemning the Nazi machinations or pontificating about the need to get socialism right for once in Germany, all along they merely put a wet finger up to test for clement winds.
Do not expect to learn of and understand freedom by reading their literature. These famed writers do not know what it means to do damage to liberty. They are just another brick in the wall, just another example of Germany's supposed elite not having a clue.
Blustering fellows good at selling self-righteousness.
See also my earlier post:
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