Gunter Grass

1 7.7

A German writer famous for the novel The Tin Drum and winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize

proper noun

: Günter Grass

Gunter Grass won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999 for his profound impact on German literature.

Examples

Many critics consider Gunter Grass's 'The Tin Drum' a masterpiece of postwar European fiction.
Gunter Grass was also known for his political activism and outspoken social commentary.
The famous author Gunter Grass was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Did you read any works by Gunter Grass?
Gunter Grass was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999, recognizing his contributions to world literature.
Gunter Grass is celebrated for his novel 'The Tin Drum', which explores themes of identity and history.
In Germany, Gunter Grass is regarded as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century.

Synonyms

Günter Wilhelm Grass

vsGunter Grass

8.4

A German writer best known for the novel The Tin Drum

emphasizes international recognition by noting a Nobel Prize in 1999

Surface Forms

Gunter Grass main

Morphology

Gunter + Grass

This is a proper name referring to a specific person; the meaning 'a German novelist and Nobel laureate' cannot be inferred from the constituent items 'Gunter' and 'Grass' even if a learner knows 'grass' as a plant. Proper names are arbitrary conventional labels whose referents and biographical details are not compositionally derived from their parts, so a B1 learner would not deduce the author's identity or achievements from the words alone.

Etymology

Gunter Grass is tied to a strong image from his famous book 'The Tin Drum'. Imagine a small boy who keeps and beats a tin drum to protest and to remember a hard past, and that picture helps you recall that Gunter Grass was a major German writer who used powerful images and won the Nobel Prize.