A Moral Authority? Günter Grass as the Conscience of the German Nation

When it was revealed in 2006 that Günter Grass had been a member of the Waffen-SS towards the end of the World War II, critics stripped Germany's most famous contemporary writer and intellectual of his widely recognized position as “a self-designated and fearless conscience of the nation” (Fritz Stern). Against the historical background of moral authority figures in twentieth century Germany, this article examines Grass’ contributions as the nation's conscience to his country's political culture. For a start, the historical preconditions are analyzed that allowed Grass from the early 1960s onward to ascend to the public role of a moral authority figure. Second, this article then assesses to what extent this position must be regarded, on the one hand, as the result of external configurations and, on the other, as the outcome of Grass’ own aspirations to create a self-image as a moral leader. In the light of his former membership of the Waffen-SS; third, the question is addressed whether Grass’ confession has led to his “moral downfall,” as many critics have claimed, or whether he should still be regarded as a “moral compass,” as others believe. This article concludes by arguing that his recent dismissal from his position as the nation's conscience does not merely reveal widespread disenchantment with Grass but indicates, at a much wider level, a new public understanding that no longer associates the role of the writer in the twenty-first century with moral leadership.