In the early 1980s the Cold War was on its last legs, but at the time it did not quite feel that way. Especially in Europe, many people were afraid that the new more sophisticated nuclear missiles would sooner or later destroy humanity. At the same time there were growing worries about the environment, as trees and whole forests seemed to be dying from the exposure to pollution. That is the background of Grass' novel "The Rat", which is his own version of the Apocalypse.

The construction of the novel is very intricate, poems and prose interweave several plots. The rat of the title is a pet which the narrator keeps, and which suddenly starts telling him about the end of humanity in a nuclear war; rats survive and found a new civilisation. The narrator does not want to accept this and starts telling stories to prove to the rat that he still exists. There definitely is a feeling of endgame about the novel, as Grass summons characters from earlier novels (such as Oskar from "The Tin Drum"), all the women he has loved (the five of them corss the Baltic Sea in a boat) and his native Danzig-Gdansk as if to say goodbye to them all. In another subplot, characters from well-known fairytales try to start a kind of revolution to save the German forests.

Much of this is very poignant, some of it full of brilliant black humour, yet somehow I get the impression that maybe Grass tried to do too much here. The novel is far from being a page turner. As both the rat and the narrator insist on their points of view, some annoying repetitions occur. - To me it seemed quite dated, too. Even Grass himself seems to be less worried about the end of the world today, as his recent novels are more concerned with the injustices of German unification. That said, "The Rat" is representative of its time - and it is a daring vision which few writers of Grass' standing have attempted. Maybe it will prove a case of greatness which was not recognized in its own time.

_The Rat_ is my favorite novel by Gunter Grass. It is miserly and potent, with very little wasted space or filler. It is an almost continuous stream-of-conscience monologue; it is the nonstop ranting and raving of an angst-ridden person in the midst of a spiritual crisis, venting his frustration and confusion. Overall, this technique proves to be a very successful literary device. It reads almost like nonfiction philosophy, and because Grass does not get bogged down with an absurd plot and characterization, this novel provides an ideal vehicle for his undiluted spiritual-philosophical beliefs. Keep in mind, however, that there is very little in the way of action, charaterization, and concrete plot events in this novel. If you are looking for a more traditional novel, you may want to look elsewhere. Nevertheless, I still believe this is Grass' best work because it is personal and revealing with regards to his deepest sources of philosophical angst and spiritual misgivings. I recommend this book to anyone who really wants to know what is going on in the mind of Gunter Grass.

One of the best books I have read in a long time. I agree that this book is very dense with symbolism, but I think that this is a virtue, not a fault. Grass orchestrates an amazing chaos through out the book, tying together themes as diverse as the death of fairy-tales, the destruction of the environment, human attitudes toward rats, and a host of other ideas, and somehow turns them into something remarkable. For all its different plot lines, I felt a unity running through this book that few authors could have achieved.

This book is certainly not for everyone, and I would not advise reading it until after you have read "The Tin Drum" and "The Flounder" both by Grass, but for me this book was a remarkable reading experience.

Adolf Eichmann was the main character behind the deportation of the jews to concentration and extermination camps during the second world war. With that in mind, one better understands the historic and sociological value of a book made of the transcripts of his interrogation at the hands of the israeli police prior to Eichmann execution at the conclusion of his trial. However several things wich I will now detail diminish the impact of this neverteless important work.
The first of these diminishing factor is Eichmann himself... Eichmann lies constantly all trough the transcript and try to weasel is way out of most of what he consider to be potentially damming evidence for his trial... Given the man's weak intellect most of his lies are unimaginative and most of the time he doesn't even realize he is not making any sense and denying evidence already backed by numerous witness and written evidence... He doesn't even have the common sense to realise what constitute dammaging evidence and what doesn't and he sometimes argue against or refute very technical details of little importance and yet not realize that by his own previous admission he has already confirmed the most important charges against him. All through the book Eichmann shows himself to be an uninteresting bore of little character or imagination. Totally selfish he constantly blame others for his wrong doings. He is also completely unrepentant (One gets the impression that under the same circunstance Eichmann who do it all over again, as he doesn't even seem to grasp the importance of his part in the holocaust)
Another factor that raise question about the value of this book is the circumstances in which the transcript were obtained from Eichmann. Even considering the disgusting nature of the character, one must admit that sending secret agent to kidnap him from Argentina (with not respect for the sovereignty of that country)and to bring him to trial on such short notice, trial which ended by Eichmann execution, might raise questions about the impartiality of the israeli authority and the fairness of the procedings. Incidentally, Capt. Avner Less the man who interviewed Eichmann had lost several direct family members to the extermination camps ... So are the extract presented in this book truthfull representation of what really took place in the interogation process? Probably, but one must nevertheless not forget the circumstances in which Eichmann's words were obtained...
In conclusion, the transcript will be of limited interest to people trying to get a better picture of the holocaust and the role Eichmann played in it. Eichmann's constant lying and droning on and on in his answers leave very little interesting facts and you will get a better picture of the holocaust or the role Eichmann played in it in other books. However this book will be of great interest to anybody interested in knowing and undersanding more of the personality and mind of a man who is responsable for the death of 6 million jews. Reading this book makes one realise the rather unconfortable fact that a man like A. Eichmann is not exceptionnal but rather a very dull, very normal man, the kind of promotion chasing heartless civil servant like there are hundreds in every big city ...

Yuck. Reading this is like eating liver and onions ~ a wonderful aroma, and a few tasty morsels, but for the most part to be choked down a little bit at a time. I don't know why i picked this up at this particular time; perhaps it resonated because i had recently finished "Schindler's List" and was interested in knowing more. Now i know...very little more. Eichmann spends almost the entire transcript of the interrogation avoiding questions, claiming to be a minor official with no decision-making capacity, remembering arranging transportation of Jews with no reference to what happened to them afterwards, and justifying every action he ever took by Befehlsnotstand ~ being legally constrained to follow the orders he was given. This is the record of a man who was, apparently, happy enough to participate in evil once he had been brought into it ~ in his defence, it doesn't appear that Eichmann went out of his way to become the Reich specialist on Jewish questions ~ but was unwilling either to renounce it when given the chance or to stay with it unrepentant to the end, as Himmler et al did. I literally had to read this in small doses, because he was so casual about this actions, and yet so unwilling to see the consequences of any action taken; the interrogator, one Avner Less, must have wanted to shake the prisoner and ask him, just once, to listen and think.

The Israeli agents involved in his capture couldn't believe that such an unremarkable man could be the one with the blood of six million Jews on his hands - This book reveals how he could! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time, not (I agree) everyone's cup of tea but definately mine! Once started I couldn't put the thing down. I was locked to it with disbelief at the way Eichmann could rationalise all his actions (almost justify them) and distance himself from the end product of the conveyor-belt he claimed to be....just the transporter of! I know others have written not particularly savoury reviews of this book, but if you are in any way interested in the Holocaust then reading of the bringing to justice of one of it's most notorious perpetrators will be time well spent. Highly recommended...............Fascinating!

The writing was nice (though of course in translation) and the eye for detail and dialogue are both top notch. My ability to "connect" with this book, however, was not so good. Maybe that's my fault (ok, it is my fault), but I'm sure that others in America will have the same trouble. I can understand Nobel consideration just on his ability, but I'd have to read more than just this one (all I've read) to say I agree with the award. I just don't know anything about Poland or Germany. I'm sure that many others don't either. If you don't, you can still enjoy the writing, but that's probably where it will end, since the whole book will end up feeling very foreign. For me it was a distraction. If you want to read some Grass, I would recommend starting with something else...I wish I had. Overall, just average, I'm glad I read it, but I had higher expectations than it was able to meet.

It's an interesting book... if you know Gdansk or Poland. It is interesting because in this book Grass goes beyond his usual calls for Polish-German reconciliation. He suggests -- in no uncertain terms -- that if Poles want the Germans to accept the Polish authority over Gdansk, they themselves have to accept Lithuanian authority over Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, which belonged to Poland for a number of years between the two world wars. Making this observation is very important given that we, Polish people, usually see ourselves as victims of history and rarely as culprits.

One of the main qualities of the story is that it creates a very detailed picture of the very near future of Gdansk -- a future in which a park near the Gdansk Polytechnic gets converted into a German cementary, where certain German-Polish-Lithuanian reconciliation efforts are under way. Reading all the detailed descriptions of all the things Grass sees changing in Gdansk convinces me of his good knowledge of the city. The drawback of it is that the book is heavily time-stamped and probably not that interesting to those, who do not know Gdansk or, at least, Poland.

Reconciliation and forewell. As in the "Danzig trilogy", canvas of exclusively humane interplay of reconciliation's, changes and departures are painted. Grass commands knowledge of Polish and German things. Be it geography, local idioms, smell of the country sides. Descriptions of farmers market, streets and places, details of the appearance of mushroom (Boletus edulis), even description of soil is vivid. For a reader who, in his past, lived in Gdansk and knows first hand conditions of life in Poland, this book is a nostalgic trip into memories, source of reflections. There is this poetic melancholy in accepting changing world : ideals replaced with organised greed; Families decaying and destroyed; Brick wall coming down, walls between people building; Lakes desacrated by developments, their waters no more holding crawfish. Author is a keen judge of new world. He ackowledges manipulative genius of a great leader, and shallow pettiness of small; he regrets indiscriminate killings and impersonal wars of present.; he see ingrained prejudices (Polish vitriolic russophobia, German xenophobia) even in otherwise good people. Mellow and enchanting account of fast changing world. - For better ?

From the foreword by C. G. Jung (1956): "The problem this book is concerned with is one in which I, too, have been interested for a long time. It is now exactly fifty years since I learned, thanks to the association experiment, the role which complexes play in our conscious life . . . Dr. Jacobi has made it her task, in this book, to expound the important connection on the one hand between the individual complex and the universal, instinctual archetype, and on the other hand between this and the symbol. The appearance of her study is the more welcome to me in that the concept of the archetype has given rise to the greatest misunderstandings and -- if one may judge by the adverse criticisms -- must be presumed to be very difficult to comprehend. Anyone, therefore, who has misgivings on this score can seek information in this volume, which also takes account of much of the literature."

Textbook Jung made clear by the woman who gave Robert Moore such a bad time at the Jung Institute. Recommended for beginners just venturing into Jung's thought. Don't expect anything innovative.

It is very interesting and accessible, even for the ones not familiar with Jung's theories. It is a good introduction that makes you wanting to know more about C.G. Jung.

The author is best known for his theatrical work and poems, while his narrative prose has been underestimated. This collection of 37 short stories (reprinted for Brecht's centenary) shows another facet of Brecht's literatry gift. This is writing with an unpretentious tone and reporting style. The composition of the stories falls into three distinct periods. The Bavarian stories written between 1920 and 1924 treat mainly autobiographical problems of a young man in his early twenties. The Berlin stories written between 1924 and 1933 marks his most intense period in this genre. These stories have a sober and realistic style, thematically dominated by topical issues of the 1920's, aiming to reveal the social behavior of individuals. The third group refers to stories written during Brecht's exile (1937-1940), the first pieces serve as ammunition in the struggle against fascism, and the later ones have a strong socially critical orientation. The reader familiarized with the work of Brecht (poems and plays) will certainly recognize the author's style stamped in these short stories, his determination to represent reality accurately, lack of affectation, anecdotal but with a sense of dread. Quite a treat for a lover of short stories!

The author is best known for his theatrical work and poems, while his narrative prose has been underestimated. This collection of 37 short stories (reprinted for Brecht's centenary) shows another facet of Brecht's literary gift. This is writing with an unpretentious tone and reporting style. The composition of the stories falls into three distinct periods. The Bavarian stories written between 1920 and 1024 treat mainly autobiographical problems of a young man in his early twenties. The Berlin stories written between 1924 and 1933 marks his most intense period in this genre. These stories have a sober and realistic style, thematically dominated by topical issues of the 1920's, aiming to reveal the social behavior of individuals. The third group refers to stories written during Brecht's exile (1937-1940), the first pieces serve as ammunition in the struggle against fascism, and the later ones have a strong socially critical orientation. The reader familiarized with the work of Brecht (poems and plays) will certainly recognize the author's style in these short stories, his determination to represent reality accurately, lack of affectation, anecdotal but with a sense of dread. Quite a treat for a lover of short stories!

St Joan is one of Brecht's less well-known plays. Set in Chicago, it is the story of Joan Dark and is the modern version of the biblical story, Joan of Arc. Joan is a leader of a religious group, the Black Straw Hats. Throughout the play, she preaches to common-folk and the "meat kings" of Chigago, namely Mauler, Cridle and Lennox. Although criticised, her support for the needy is much appeciated. The play consists of lots of monologues, linked by short sections of dialogue. Joan uses biblical phrases and terms in her preaching such as "Oh ye of little faith" and words like "ordain" and "salvation". The structure of this play makes it ideal to be used for monolgues, after a bit of editing.

This play, one of Brecht's best if least known, is perhaps the first postmodern classic. It combines the dramaturgy of a tragedy and a comedy and a passion play. It makes an attempt (years before todays financial tv programs) to make the market and its affairs excitingly dramatic. This new translation by Ralph Manheim, arguably Brecht's most accomplished translator, does much to save the text from earlier mistranslations. This year (2001) there will be an all star performance of the new translation in Chicago, the city in whose Stockyards and at whose Board of Trade the Play was originally set. This could be the seminal Brecht performance of the year!

This book helps us understand your inner-self. You learn a lot about how you really are and learn how to control new abilities. I would give this book to any women who wants to get in touch with a secret part of their mind. You also learn about history and this helps you to adapt what you've learned in your present life.

It's popular now-a-days to call communism "out of touch" and socialism "out of style." Brecht's question, then: Who should own anything? Should possession be nine-tenths of the law? Or should the laws of ownership remain an open-ended affair? -- could be called a foregone conclusion.

Woe to the foregone conclusion, then. Its trial date is ever on the way.

Laughably, the Helms-Burton bill, recently signed into law by Pres. Bill Clinton, is a giggle back to Brecht's discussion. And a silly one. One should think that were the United States to be in the business of giving back land "once stolen," that the Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, et. al. would be first in line.

Not so!

Apparently, Cuba's land belongs not to its current owners, but to its capitalists of 40 years hence. Oh, silliness. Oh, amusement.

So ask Brecht's question, then, not as a socialist, a communist or a red. Ask it as a human being. To whom does anything belong? What is belonging? What is ownership? Who owns anything? When - and why - does ownership occasionally turn on its own head?

The Fuhrer, by Konrad Heiden, is an intriguing analysis of Hitler's rise to power that was written by one of his contemporaries. Heiden, a Socialist, who nevertheless is more objective than one would expect, seeks to show the scheming, events, and popular sentiments that led to Hitler's rise to power while at the same time foreshadowing the danger of Hitler's rule. The only departures from objectivity are those places in which Hitler is called "the Antichrist" and is said to be the true follower of The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. The conventional belief is that it was "the Jewish enemy" that was carrying them out, in stark contrast to Heiden's views.
Although the book is an analysis of Hitler's rise to power, it is not a comprehensive biography. It starts with events that occured before his birth and ends during the Blood Purge of 1933, in which Hitler the chancellor, orders the systematic murder of his enemies. The book does not even go as far as the start of World War II or the Holocaust, as by then, Hitler had rose to power, and his achievements went downhill from there.
The book is written in ponderous scholarly language and takes effort to read. As a fulltime student, it took me about 20 days to finish the 600 odd pages. It is replete with reported anecdotes and excerpts from Hitler's speeches, correspondences, and correspondences relating to him, enhancing and lengthening the volume. If one can avoid falling asleep and really pay attention to what is being said, one will realize the clarity and relevance of the book.
I bought this book because it was the cheapest biography of Hitler I could find, and I was not disappointed. I recommend this book to all diligent readers who desire a greater understanding of how Hitler became the Fuhrer.

I had to read this for my theatre department at school. But as I did I found that through the course of this play, Brecht gives a sense of honesty in all of the chracters. Weather that honesty is good or bad, it is a truthfull play that brings forth many aspects of seraching for what is good and bad.