Not only did the poem disappear from the controversy, but it almost never appeared under its own guise. Even to call the monologue a "poem" is to offer charity that "What Must Be Said" does not earn for itself. Manfred Lahnstein, a former German Federal Minister of Finance, said it well for Yediot Ahronot: Grass's text is a "pamphlet beefed up by some technical tricks to make it look like a 'poem.'" It is poetry if and only if poetry is the abandonment of literary form, logical argument, and even basic grammar for the sake of delivering pronouncements ex cathedra.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Thoroughly faux …
… Poison Pen — Jewish Ideas Daily. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
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Some decades ago the USA barred writer Farley Mowat fom entering its borders. Some decades ago, Pete Seeger was blacklisted from broadcast performances due to his once having been a member of the US Communist party.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these writers are arguably better writers than Grass. But of course writers are banned not for being writers but for what they have written.
Seems to me that all parties involved in this affair look equally dumb. Israel does not have the high ground here, but neither does Grass. What's interesting is the reactivated wounds of past history, and the rhetoric flying about them.