Nobel laureate flays Bush

[Sticky]

Jun. 1, 2006. 01:00 AM
HAROON SIDDIQUI

Gunter Grass, celebrated German novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, sculptor and commentator, is a living legend. When this Nobel laureate speaks, people listen.

His address in Berlin to the annual Congress of International PEN, the worldwide organization of writers, had been much anticipated, especially given his long admonition to intellectuals to speak up on the political and moral issues of the day.

He himself has done so all his life, most famously against the Nazi past and contemporary neo-Nazism and xenophobia. He has not always been right, of course, having opposed post-Cold War German unification.

Grass, at 78 still spry and energetic, quickly gets into his topic, "The hubris of the world's only superpower," and proceeds to offer a sweeping critique.

His words find resonance among the writers gathered here, including another Nobel laureate, South African novelist Nadine Gordimer.

"Armed force is used by this superpower to defeat the terrorism it is itself responsible for," Grass says, citing Osama bin Laden, the by-product of American support for Afghan jihadists in the 1980s. "The war (on Iraq), deliberately started in blatant disdain of the laws of civilized societies, produces still more terror."

Yet George W. Bush is searching for new enemies and targets.

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[katinmn]

1. K&N! All the intelligent people are on to BushCo.

[Sticky]

2. Yes, and hopefully their respected opinions

will be spoken louder and heard by more people.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. kicked for more attention and discussion

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. Good article

Thanks for the post

[eppur_se_muova]

5. "Nobel laureate flays Bush"... Oh. You meant FIGURATIVELY.

:( Bummer.

[kineneb]

6. I like Guenter Grass

I have read some of his works in German- good stuff. He is a brillant person and the author of The Tin Drum (Der Blechtrommel).

For a real flaying, I would love to put him and Gore Vidal together and set them loose...:evilgrin:

[LouisianaLiberal]

7. Die Blechtrommel

The first long book I read in German. Brilliant book. It isn't surprising that Grass is opposed to neo-cons. I would be willing to bet that anyone intelligent enough to win a Nobel, is intelligent enough to see through Bushco (Milton Friedman is dead, so he doesn't count.)

[Stockholm]

8. Kick

Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were 'like priests who have blessed the guns and carried death along with the Bible into distant lands.'

Can´t wait for the entire speech to be posted!

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/article_1166091.php/Nobel_laureate_Grass_assails_US%A0at_writers_conference