Lenz was probably the most influential German narrator of the post-war period with a world circulation of over 20 million books. He saw the writer's profession as a politically responsible, public authority and stood up for Willy Brandt's Eastern Policy. His wide-ranging work includes the processing of existential decision-making situations "Es waren Habichte in der Luft" (There were Hawks in the Air) as well as droll stories about Masurian originals "So zärtlich war Suleyken" (So Tender was Suleyken). "Deutschstunde" (The German Lesson), his first bestseller in 1968, gave for the first time a critical account of everyday National Socialist life and its aftermath. In the novel "Heimatmuseum" (The Heritage) this is set on fire by the protagonist himself in order to prevent the political appropriation of his Masurian collections. Lenz received numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1988.
Illustration:
Siegfried Lenz 1969, Photographer: Lothar Schaack Source: German Federal Archives, B 145 picture-F030757-0015 / CC-BY-SA 3.0