UNCOMFORTABLY PERSISTENT – WRITER GÜNTER GRASS

A captivating and light-spirited documentary follows German writer and Nobel laureate Günter Grass over the course of two years, during which he was writing his autobiography Peeling the Onion (Beim Häuten der Zwiebel). Throughout this period, the film documents Grass’s participation in various events—readings, political campaigns, award ceremonies, and meetings with translators in his birthplace of Gdańsk, a Polish city formerly known as Danzig. The film crew also accompanies him on a trip to Paris, where he performs on stage with his daughter, actress Helene Grass, presenting a program of playful and provocative German romantic folk poetry from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, the remarkable collection of folk songs published between 1805 and 1808 by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano.

The documentary includes interviews with friends and colleagues such as Salman Rushdie, Amos Oz, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, and Tadeusz Rózewicz. Publisher Gerhard Steidl, Grass’s close friend and influential publisher Maria Sommer, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, and others also appear, shedding light on various facets of Grass’s life and work. A significant portion of the film is devoted to the 2006 revelation that the unit Grass joined as a 17-year-old, long believed to be part of the Wehrmacht, was in fact a Waffen-SS unit—an admission that sparked widespread controversy. The film explores how this disclosure affected Grass’s life and legacy, and how he came to terms with it.

Combining observational footage and in-depth interviews, the film offers an intimate look into Grass’s daily life, creative process, and political engagement, while highlighting the complexity of his personality and the enduring impact of his past on his work.

Organized by Prevodni Pranger and Goethe-Institut Ljubljana, in collaboration with partners Cankarjev dom, the Department of German Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, the publishing house Kulturni center, and Film v Minoritih, marking the 10th anniversary of the death of German Nobel laureate Günter Grass, the publication of the Slovenian translation of his novella Srečanje v Telgteju (Meeting in Telgte) – a literary treat with original poetry by German Baroque poets – and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Supporters • Public Agency for Books, City Municipality of Maribor, DAAD, Department of Translation Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor