Eduardo Galeano and Günther Grass

Sometimes it seems like writers decide to pass away two by two.

Sometimes, throughout history strange incidents and coincidences have occurred which seemto have been planned in advance. On Monday, 13^th April, (thank goodness I am not superstitious, I mean about the 13^th) two sad news stories hit the headlines: the deaths of Günther Grass and Eduardo Galeano.  Both writers, one a German and the other a Uruguayan respectively, played active roles in their societies, each one of them contributing their own controversial style and becoming sources of controversy.

Eduardo Galeano

For anyone with feelings, the death of an artist is a cause of sadness (of course, some people argue that an artist is never really dead while people read, watch, listen to and enjoy their works). As Spanish teachers we are always on the hunt for and collecting interesting texts which we can use in class and Eduardo Galeano is one of those marvelous sources of authentic materials which just make us rejoice because it seems like his works are tailor-made, written with us, our pupils and the Spanish as a Foreign Language Classroom in mind.

A few years ago, I came across a collection of short stories by Max Aub: “ Crímenes ejemplares” ( Exemplary Crimes) which was a rich source of many classroom activities and practical for use in the classroom  because it included complete and short stories with elements of dark humor. But then Galeano arrived on the literary scene with his “Libro de los abrazos” (The Book of Embraces) which was like a breath of fresh air in my life, arousing my interest in the world of poetry and providing me with  immeasurably tender and clear images. Of course, I became addicted to Galeano´s work.

Many people accuse Galeano of being too radical probably because they have only studied “Las venas abiertas de América Latina” (Open Veins of Latin America), a book which must be read and understood with its publication date and historical context in mind: 1971.  Subsequently, Galeano gave us “Memoria del fuego” (Memory of Fire) and “El fútbol a sol y a sombra” (Football in Sun and Shadow) for football fans.

Just before he died he published an anthology entitled “Mujeres” (Women) which is also priceless.  He is gone but we still have not expressed our gratitude by posthumously awarding him a Prince of Asturias Literary Award or a Miguel de Cervantes Prize honoring the lifetime achievement of writers. It seems like “no-one is a prophet in their own land” (it is easier to become successful and famous outside your own country).

Günther Grass

I had the same kind of experience with Günther Grass. Many years ago I saw the 1978 film “El tambor de hojalata" (The Tin Drum), which left me amazed. Seeing the film inevitably made me want to read the book which had inspired it and that is how I discovered Grass (sadly, due to my limited knowledge of German, I had to read the book in Spanish instead of the original version). All the same I really liked it.

Subsequently, he published some more books becoming involved in artistic (theater, essays, poems and novels) and politic activities, which were thorns in the sides of society´s do-gooders.

And then, a while back, he was embroiled in a scandal surrounding his membership of the WaffenSS, when he was a teenager, growing up in Germany during the final stages of World War Two.

I am not sure, but perhaps this embarrassment which had been weighing on his conscience explains why his first volume of memoirs was entitled “Peeling the Onion”, because we all have things that we have done which move us to tears (regardless of their origins).

Günther Grass did enjoy the sweet smell of success and recognition. His most outstanding year was definitely 1999 when he won two awards: the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Prince of Asturias Literary Award.

This reflection on two literary greats is a reminder that next week we commemorate the double death of Shakespeare and Cervantes (putting aside the controversy about whether the connection between the dates of their deaths is correct or not), and this week the world of literature has lost two other great monsters  (incidentally, I am using this word with totally positive connotations expressing my/ our utmost admiration).