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{{Short description|German writer (1927–2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Martin Walser
| image = Martin Walser Frankfurter Buchmesse 2013 1.JPG
| caption = Walser in 2013
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1927|3|24}}
| birth_place = [[Wasserburg am Bodensee]], Bavaria, [[Weimar Republic|German Reich]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2023|7|26|1927|3|24}}
| death_place = [[Überlingen|Nussdorf]], Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| occupation = Novelist
| period = 1955–2023
| education = {{ubl| [[University of Regensburg]] | [[University of Tübingen]] }}
| notable_works = ''[[Runaway Horse]]''
| awards = {{ubl |[[Georg Büchner Prize]] | [[Peace Prize of the German Book Trade]] }}
| signature = Walser Signature.jpg
}}

'''Martin Johannes Walser''' ({{IPA|de|ˈmaʁ.tiːn ˈvalˌzɐ|lang|De-Martin Walser.ogg}}; 24 March 1927 – 26 July 2023) was a German writer, known especially as a novelist. He began his career as journalist for ''[[Süddeutscher Rundfunk]]'', where he wrote and directed [[audio play]]s. He was a member of [[Group 47]] from 1953 on.
 
His first novel, ''[[Marriage in Philippsburg]]'', a satirical portrait of postwar society, became a success in 1957. Walser then turned to freelance writing. He published a [[Anselm Kristlein trilogy|trilogy of novels about the character Anselm Kristlein]], beginning with ''Halbzeit'' in 1960, ''Das Einhorn'' (''The Unicorn'') in 1966 and ending with ''Der Sturz'' (''The Fall'') in 1973. Most of his major works have been translated into English, including the 1978 novella ''[[Runaway Horse]]'', which was successful with both readers and critics. He also wrote plays (''Die Zimmerschlacht''), screenplays, story collections and essays. Several of his books have been adapted to the screen, including ''Runaway Horse'' in 1986 and again in 2007.

Walser received many awards, including the [[Georg Büchner Prize]] in 1981 and the [[Peace Prize of the German Publishers' Association]] in 1998. His acceptance speech for the Peace Prize caused controversy with Walser's remarks on German commemoration of the Holocaust. The "monumentalization of shame", he said, risks turning remembrance of the Holocaust into a "lip service" ritual. In 2002, Walser's portrayal of the literary critic [[Marcel Reich-Ranicki]] in his novel ''{{ill|Tod eines Kritikers|de}}'' ("Death of a Critic") was regarded as antisemitic.

Walser is regarded, along with [[Heinrich Böll]], [[Günter Grass]], and [[Siegfried Lenz]], as one of Germany's most influential postwar authors.<ref name="Illmer" /><ref name="Monde">{{cite news |last=Illmer |first=Andreas |trans-title=German writer Martin Walser dies aged 96 |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2023/07/28/mort-de-l-ecrivain-allemand-martin-walser-a-96-ans_6183782_3382.html |title=Mort de l'écrivain allemand Martin Walser à 96 ans |date=28 July 2023 |newspaper=[[Le Monde]] |language=fr |access-date=1 August 2023}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
<!-- [[File:LenkWalserHoch.jpg|thumb|left|Detail of the {{ill|Bodenseereiter|de}} by [[Peter Lenk]] (Martin Walser as Bodenseereiter).]] image needs different position if relevant enough at all-->
Walser was born on 24 March 1927 in [[Wasserburg am Bodensee|Wasserburg]], on [[Lake Constance]]. His parents were [[coal merchant]]s who also kept an inn next to the train station in Wasserburg.<ref name="Illmer">{{cite news |last=Illmer |first=Andreas |title=German writer Martin Walser dies aged 96 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-writer-martin-walser-dies-aged-96/a-66380181 |date=29 July 2023 |work = Deutsche Welle |language=en |access-date=29 July 2023}}</ref> The second of three children, Walser lost his father at age ten.<ref name="LEMO" /> He described the environment in which he grew up in his novel ''[[A Gushing Fountain]]''.<ref name="Platthaus" /> From 1938 to 1943 he attended the secondary school in [[Lindau]], until his induction to the armed forces, initially as an {{awrap|[[anti-aircraft]]}} auxiliary.<ref name="Platthaus" /><ref name="Arens">{{cite web |last=Arens |first=Christoph |title=Der Querkopf vom Bodensee |url=https://domradio.de/artikel/zum-tod-von-schriftsteller-martin-walser |work=Domradio |language=de |access-date=29 July 2023 |date=29 July 2023}}</ref> According to documents released in June 2007, he became a member of the [[Nazi Party]] on 20 April 1944 at age 17.<ref name="Welt">{{cite news |title=Dieter Hildebrandt soll in NSDAP gewesen sein |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/article987203/Dieter_Hildebrandt_soll_in_NSDAP_gewesen_sein.html |work = [[Die Welt]] |language=de |access-date=29 July 2023}}</ref> Walser denied that he knowingly entered the party, and assumed that he was enrolled by a garrison commander as part of a larger group without his knowledge.<ref name="Welt" /> The claim was disputed by Hans-Dieter Kreikamp from the [[German Federal Archives]], who said that a personal signature was formally required, even in times of war.<ref name="Welt" /> By the end of the Second World War, Walser was a soldier in the [[Wehrmacht]].<ref name="Illmer" />

After the war, he completed his {{lang|de|[[Abitur]]}} in Lindau in 1946.<ref name="LEMO" /> He then studied literature, history, and philosophy at the [[University of Regensburg]] and the [[University of Tübingen]], achieving his doctorate in literature in 1951 with a thesis on [[Franz Kafka]].<ref name="Illmer" /><!-- supervised by {{ill|Friedrich Beißner|de}}.{{cn|date=July 2023}} -->

== Career ==
While studying, Walser worked as a reporter for the ''[[Süddeutscher Rundfunk]]'' broadcasting company, and wrote and directed his first [[audio play]]s.<ref name="Illmer" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lersch |first1=Edgar |last2=Viehoff |first2=Reinhold |title=Rundfunk, Politik, Literatur. Martin Walsers früher Erfahrungen bei Süddeutschen Rundfunk zwischen 1949 und 1957 |series=[[Jahrbuch Medien und Geschichte]] |volume=2 |pages=213–257 |date=2002 |language=de}}</ref><ref name="Kieselbach" /> He travelled to Czechoslovakia, England, France, Italy, and Poland as part of his job.<ref name="LEMO" /> In 1950 Walser married Katharina "Käthe" Neuner-Jehle; the couple had four daughters.<ref name="LEMO">{{cite web |url=https://www.hdg.de/lemo/biografie/martin-walser.html |title= Martin Walser geb. 1927 |work=Lebendiges Museum Online |access-date=29 July 2023 |date=19 January 2016 |language=de}}</ref>

Beginning in 1953, Walser was regularly invited to conferences of the [[Group 47]], which was focused on literature for a new democratic Germany.<ref name="Kieselbach" /> The group awarded him a prize for his story ''Templones Ende'' in 1955.<ref name="LEMO" /> His first novel, ''[[Marriage in Philippsburg]]'', was published in 1957. Like his later books, it was set in Southern Germany in a postwar society, and satirically portrayed the "conservative middle class" during the "so-called [[economic miracle]]".<ref name="Illmer" /> The novel first appeared in English three years later as ''The Gadarene Club''.<ref name="Illmer" />

[[File:Martin Walser, Ein fliehendes Pferd 1978.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Title page of ''Ein fliehendes Pferd'']]
The book became a huge success,<ref name="Agazzi">{{cite book |last=Agazzi |first=Elena |date=2013 |chapter=Martin Walser: Ehen in Phillipsburg (1957) |editor1-last=Agazzi |editor1-first=Elena |editor2-last=Schütz |editor2-first=Erhard |title=Handbuch Nachkriegskultur. Literatur, Sachbuch und Film in Deutschland (1945–1962) |language=de |location=Berlin, Boston |publisher=[[De Gruyter]] |pages=494–496 |doi=10.1515/9783110221404.494 |isbn=978-3-11-022139-8 }}</ref> which enabled Walser to work as a freelance author and reside in [[Friedrichshafen]].<ref name="LEMO" /> In 1958 Walser lived in the U.S. for three months and participated in the Harvard International Seminary.<ref name="LEMO" /> He returned to the U.S. several times, invited by American universities to observe political conditions there.<ref name="Kieselbach" />

Walser's most famous and best-selling work was the novella ''[[Runaway Horse]]'', published in 1978. It was both a commercial and a critical success, and was described as "Walser's most beautiful and mature book and a masterful, searing critique of society".<ref name="Kieselbach">{{cite news |last=Kieselbach |first=Sabine |date=22 March 2019 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/martin-walser-runaway-horse/a-44892669 |title=Martin Walser: 'Runaway Horse' |work=[[Deutsche Welle|DW]] |access-date=25 July 2023 }}</ref>

In 2004 Walser left his long-time publisher [[Suhrkamp Verlag]] for [[Rowohlt Verlag]] after the death of the Suhrkamp director {{ill|Siegfried Unseld|de}}.<ref name="LEMO" /> An unusual clause in his contract with Suhrkamp allowed him to take the publishing rights to all his works with him. According to Walser, a key reason for the switch was the lack of active support by Suhrkamp during the controversy over his novel ''{{ill|Tod eines Kritikers|de}}'' (''Death of a Critic'').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/de/walser-verl%C3%A4sst-suhrkamp-verlag/a-1125745 |title=Walser verlässt Suhrkamp-Verlag |website=[[Deutsche Welle|DW]] |language=de |date=28 February 2004 |access-date=25 July 2023 }}</ref>

Walser was a member of the {{lang|de|italics=unset|[[Akademie der Künste]]}} in Berlin, the {{lang|de|italics=unset|[[Sächsische Akademie der Künste]]}}, the {{lang|de|italics=unset|[[Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung]]}} in Darmstadt, and the German [[P.E.N.]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kunst-kultur.verdi.de/literatur/vs/++co++69da25f6-2db9-11ee-9d75-001a4a160111 |title=Nachruf auf Martin Walser |website=kunst-kultur.verdi.de |language=de |date=29 July 2023 |access-date=29 July 2023 }}</ref>

In 2007 the German political magazine {{lang|de|[[Cicero (magazine)|Cicero]]}} placed Walser second on its list of the 500 most important German intellectuals, behind [[Pope Benedict XVI]] and ahead of Nobel Prize winner [[Günter Grass]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cicero.de/innenpolitik/die-liste-der-500/38015 |title=Cicero-Ranking 2007 – Die Liste der 500 |website=[[Cicero (magazine)|Cicero Online]] |language=de |access-date=25 July 2023 }}</ref>

== Work ==
Walser's subjects were often broken heroes who found it difficult to live up to the requirements of society or their own expectations. Walser said: "I think that world literature is about losers. That's just the way it is. From Antigone to Josef K. — there are no winners, no champions. And furthermore, anyone can confirm that in their circle of acquaintances: People are always more interesting when they are losing than when they are winning."<ref name="Illmer" />

He wrote his most successful book, the novella ''Runaway Horse'', in just two weeks. Its protagonists are two very different men, former school friends who experience a mid-life crisis.<ref name="Kieselbach" />

Walser's books have been translated into many languages.<ref name="Kieselbach" /> In 2007 he gave many of his manuscripts to the [[Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach]] for preservation.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.presseportal.de/pm/7169/1000995 | title = Martin Walser gibt Vorlass an Deutsches Literaturarchiv | work = [[Südwestrundfunk|SWR]] | date = 13 June 2007 | language = de | access-date = 1 August 2023}}</ref> Some of them feature in a permanent exhibition at the [[Literaturmuseum der Moderne]] in Marbach, including <!--''Ehen in Philippsburg'', ''Das Einhorn'' and - not in that source--> ''Ein springender Brunnen''.<ref>{{cite news | last = Lovenberg | first = Felicitas von | title = Ausstellung über "Die Seele": Eine Schichtung der Zeit im Raum | newspaper = [[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|FAZ]] | date = 6 May 2015 | issn = 0174-4909 | url = https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buecher/ausstellung-ueber-die-seele-eine-schichtung-der-zeit-im-raum-13631307.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_2 | language = de | access-date = 29 July 2023}}</ref>

=== ''Death of a Critic'' ===
In his 2002 [[roman-à-clef]] ''Death of a Critic'', Walser, who disliked literary critics in general, denounced one of the most prominent in Germany, {{nowrap|[[Marcel Reich-Ranicki]]}} of the {{lang|de|italic=set|[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]}} (''FAZ'').<ref name="Illmer" /> Critics characterized his portrayal as "playing on numerous anti-Semitic cliches".<ref name="Kieselbach" /><!--labeling him as a symbol of a corrupted cultural milieu as well as attacking his person.{{cn|date=July 2023}}--> The novel caused a scandal, especially in view of Reich-Ranicki's Jewish heritage and Walser's former membership in the Nazi Party.<ref name="Kieselbach" /> The novel was hotly debated even before it was released. <!--On 29 May, months before the book's August release date,--> [[Frank Schirrmacher]], editor of the ''FAZ'', refused to print an advance excerpt in the paper, as had traditionally been done for Walser's books.<ref name="LEMO" /><!-- "This book is an assassination, a settlement of accounts, a document of hate", he wrote.{{cn|date=July 2023}} The FAZ continued to publish expressions of support for Marcel Reich-Ranicki, who had been Schirrmacher's predecessor at the FAZ. Its arch-rival daily paper, the [[Süddeutsche Zeitung]] of Munich, supported Walser.{{cn|date=July 2023}}-->

In May 2010, Reich-Ranicki commented in an interview with {{lang|de|italic=set|[[Der Spiegel]]}}: "I don't think he is an anti-Semite. But it is important to him to demonstrate that the critic who allegedly tortured him most is also a Jew. He expects his public to follow him in this. You see, there never was an anti-Semitic line or remark from Grass, not one. And I certainly haven't written only positively about his books."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hage |first=Volker |url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-70569532.html |title="Ich wollte mich durchsetzen." |magazine=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=22 May 2010 |language=de |access-date=19 April 2020}}</ref> After the scandal, Walser was not welcome in the U.S. for a long time.<ref name="Kieselbach" />

== Political engagement ==
Walser was known for his political activity.<ref name="Arens"/> In 1961, he was the first literary writer to support the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD) in an election campaign.<ref name="LEMO" />

[[File:Martin Walser 1992.jpg|thumb|left|Walser at a reading in Germany, 1992]]
In 1964, Walser attended the [[Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials|Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial]], and was involved in protests against the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="Platthaus" /><ref name="Arens"/> During the late 1960s, Walser, like many German left intellectuals, including Günter Grass, supported [[Willy Brandt]] for [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)|chancellor of West Germany]].<ref name="Arens"/>

In the 1960s and 1970s, Walser moved further to the left and was considered a sympathizer of the DKP, the newly formed [[German Communist Party|West German Communist Party]]. He was friends with leading German Marxists such as {{ill|Robert Steigerwald|de}} and even visited Moscow during this time. By the 1980s, Walser began shifting back to the political right. In 1988 he gave a series of lectures titled "Speeches about One's Own Country" in which he made clear that he considered the division of Germany a painful and intolerable gulf.<ref name="LEMO" /> This was also the topic of his story {{lang|de|italic=unset|"Dorle und Wolf"}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Oehlen |first=Martin |url=https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/kultur-vergnuegen/zum-tod-von-martin-walser-mit-ihm-schliesst-sich-nicht-nur-ein-kapitel-ein-buch-wird-zugeklappt-li.216080 |title=Zum Tod von Martin Walser: Mit ihm schließt sich nicht nur ein Kapitel, ein Buch wird zugeklappt |website=[[Berliner Zeitung]] |language=de |access-date=29 July 2023 |date=28 July 2023}}</ref>
{{clear}}

== Personal life ==
In 1950, Walser married Katharina ("Käthe") Neuner-Jehle. The couple had four daughters:<ref name="LEMO" /> the actress [[Franziska Walser]], the writer and painter [[Alissa Walser]], the writer [[Johanna Walser]], and the writer [[Theresia Walser]].<ref name="Suhrkamp" /><!--Johanna occasionally published in collaboration with her father{{cn|date=July 2023}}. --> German journalist [[Jakob Augstein]] is Walser's son from a relationship with translator [[Maria Carlsson]].<ref>Gerrit Bartels: ''[http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/literatur/augstein-und-walser-vater-und-sohn-eine-gewisse-aehnlichkeit/1639752.html Augstein und Walser. Vater und Sohn: Eine gewisse Ähnlichkeit]''. In: Der Tagesspiegel. 28 November 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2012.</ref>

Walser died in [[Überlingen|Nussdorf]] on 26 July 2023,<ref>[https://www.fr.de/ratgeber/medien/schriftsteller-martin-walser-bereits-am-26-juli-gestorben-zr-92443265.html ''Schriftsteller Martin Walser bereits am 26. Juli gestorben.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805013502/https://www.fr.de/ratgeber/medien/schriftsteller-martin-walser-bereits-am-26-juli-gestorben-zr-92443265.html |date=5 August 2023 }} In: FR.de, 4 August 2023.</ref> at age 96.<ref name="Illmer" /><ref name="Platthaus">{{cite news |last=Platthaus |first=Andreas |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buecher/autoren/schriftsteller-martin-walser-im-alter-von-96-jahren-gestorben-19064875.html |title=Was aber an Unruhe bleibt, stiften die Dichter |newspaper=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|FAZ]] |date=28 July 2023 |language=de |access-date=30 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="Hoffmann">{{cite news |last=Hoffmann |first=Matthias |url=https://www.bild.de/news/2023/news/martin-walser-tot-84857120.bild.html |title=Martin Walser tot! |newspaper=[[Bild]] |date=28 July 2023 |language=de |access-date=28 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://trauer.sueddeutsche.de/traueranzeige/martin-johannes-walser-31-07-2023 | title=Traueranzeigen von Martin Johannes Walser &#124; SZ-Gedenken.de }}</ref>

== Awards ==
Walser was awarded the [[Hermann-Hesse-Literaturpreis|Hermann Hesse Prize]] in 1957 for his first novel.<ref name="Agazzi" /> He received the [[Georg Büchner Prize]] in 1981,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaiser |first=Daniel |date=20 December 2019 |title=Georg Büchner Preis: Martin Walser |url=https://www.deutscheakademie.de/en/awards/georg-buechner-preis/martin-walser |access-date=5 April 2020 |website=deutscheakademie.de |publisher=Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung |location=Darmstadt}}</ref> the [[Ricarda-Huch-Preis|Ricarda Huch Prize]] of Darmstadt in 1990,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Ricarda-Huch-Preis |url=https://www.darmstadt.de/darmstadt-erleben/kultur/auszeichnungen-und-preise/ricarda-huch-preis/ |access-date=31 July 2023 |work=[[Darmstadt]] |language=de |archive-date=9 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109180957/https://www.darmstadt.de/darmstadt-erleben/kultur/auszeichnungen-und-preise/ricarda-huch-preis/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Peace Prize of the German Book Trade]] in 1998, and the [[Friedrich Nietzsche Prize]] in 2015 for his life's achievements,<ref name="Illmer" /><ref name="WELT 2015">{{cite news | title=Internationaler Friedrich-Nietzsche-Preis für Martin Walser | newspaper=[[Die Welt]] | date=21 September 2015 | url=https://www.welt.de/regionales/sachsen-anhalt/article146660377/Internationaler-Friedrich-Nietzsche-Preis-fuer-Martin-Walser.html | access-date=9 August 2021}}</ref> among many other awards.<ref name="Suhrkamp" />

=== Peace Prize of the German Book Trade ===
In 1998 Walser was awarded the [[Peace Prize of the German Book Trade]]. His acceptance speech, given at [[St. Paul's Church, Frankfurt am Main|St. Paul's Church]] in Frankfurt, invoked issues of historical memory and political engagement in contemporary German politics and unleashed a controversy that roiled German intellectual circles. Walser's acceptance speech was titled: "{{lang|de|Erfahrungen beim Verfassen einer Sonntagsrede|italic=no}}" (Experiences while drafting a soap box speech):<ref name="2008FrankfurtSpeech" />{{efn|{{lang|de|Jeder kennt unsere geschichtliche Last, die unvergängliche Schande, kein Tag, an dem sie uns nicht vorgehalten wird. [...] wenn mir aber jeden Tag in den Medien diese Vergangenheit vorgehalten wird, merke ich, daß sich in mir etwas gegen diese Dauerpräsentation unserer Schande wehrt. Anstatt dankbar zu sein für die unaufhörliche Präsentation unserer Schande, fange ich an wegzuschauen. Wenn ich merke, daß sich in mir etwas dagegen wehrt, versuche ich, die Vorhaltung unserer Schande auf Motive hin abzuhören und bin fast froh, wenn ich glaube, entdecken zu können, daß öfter nicht mehr das Gedenken, das Nichtvergessendürfen das Motiv ist, sondern die Instrumentalisierung unserer Schande zu gegenwärtigen Zwecken. Immer guten Zwecken, ehrenwerten. Aber doch Instrumentalisierung. [...] Auschwitz eignet sich nicht, dafür Drohroutine zu werden, jederzeit einsetzbares Einschüchterungsmittel oder Moralkeule oder auch nur Pflichtübung. Was durch Ritualisierung zustande kommt, ist von der Qualität des Lippengebets. [...] In der Diskussion um das Holocaustdenkmal in Berlin kann die Nachwelt einmal nachlesen, was Leute anrichteten, die sich für das Gewissen von anderen verantwortlich fühlten. Die Betonierung des Zentrums der Hauptstadt mit einem fußballfeldgroßen Alptraum. Die Monumentalisierung der Schande.}}<ref name="2008FrankfurtSpeech" />}} 
{{Blockquote|text=Everybody knows our historical burden, the never ending shame, not a day on which the shame is not presented to us. [...] But when every day in the media this past is presented to me, I notice that something inside me is opposing this permanent show of our shame. Instead of being grateful for the continuous show of our shame — I start looking away. I would like to understand why in this decade the past is shown like never before. When I notice that something within me is opposing it, I try to hear the motives of this reproach of our shame, and I am almost glad when I think I can discover that more often not the remembrance, the not-allowed-to-forget is the motive, but the exploitation / utilization [{{lang|de|Instrumentalisierung}}] of our shame for current goals. Always for the right purpose, for sure. But yet the exploitation. [...] Auschwitz is not suitable for becoming a routine-of-threat, an always available intimidation or a moral club [{{lang|de|Moralkeule}}] or also just an obligation. What is produced by ritualisation has the quality of a lip service [...]. The debate about the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin will show, in posterity, what people do who feel responsible for the conscience of others. Turning the centre of the capital into concrete with a nightmare [{{lang|de|Alptraum}}], the size of a football pitch. Turning shame into monument.<ref name="2008FrankfurtSpeech">[http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/dokumente/WegeInDieGegenwart_redeWalserZumFriedenspreis/ Zum Friedenspreis] (full text in German) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214135051/http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/dokumente/WegeInDieGegenwart_redeWalserZumFriedenspreis/ |date=14 February 2008 }})</ref>}}

At first the speech caused no great stir; the audience received the speech with applause, though [[Ignatz Bubis]], president of the [[Central Council of Jews in Germany]], did not applaud, as confirmed by television footage of the event.<ref>Eshel, Amir: [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/german/faculty/jewish_memories.pdf "Jewish Memories, German Futures: Recent Debates in Germany about the Past"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308005006/http://www.stanford.edu/dept/german/faculty/jewish_memories.pdf |date=8 March 2007 }}, page 12. 2000. (PDF-File, 6&nbsp;MB)</ref> Some days after the event, and again on 9{{nbsp}}November, the 60th anniversary of the {{lang|de|italic=unset|[[Kristallnacht]]}} pogrom against German Jews, Bubis accused Walser of "intellectual arson" ({{lang|de|geistige Brandstiftung}})<ref name="Illmer" /> and claimed that Walser's speech was both "trying to block out history or, respectively, to eliminate the remembrance" and pleading "for a culture of looking away and thinking away".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alles Schlußstrich – oder was? |url=http://home.arcor.de/metaphysicus/Texte/schlussstrich.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325073128/http://home.arcor.de/metaphysicus/Texte/schlussstrich.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009 |access-date=28 December 2008}}</ref> Then the controversy started. As described by Karsten Luttmer:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Die Walser-Bubis-Kontroverse |url=http://www.zukunft-braucht-erinnerung.de/nachkriegsdeutschland/gedenkkulturen-nach-1945/116.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309201943/http://www.zukunft-braucht-erinnerung.de/nachkriegsdeutschland/gedenkkulturen-nach-1945/116.html |archive-date=9 March 2009 |access-date=28 December 2008}}</ref> Walser replied by accusing Bubis to have stepped ''out of dialogue between people''. Walser and Bubis met on 12 December<ref name="LEMO" /><!-- at the offices of the {{lang|de|[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]}}--> to discuss the heated controversy and <!--{{cn|date=July 2023}} They were joined by [[Frank Schirrmacher]] of the {{lang|de|Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}} and [[Salomon Korn]] of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.--> settle the dispute.<ref name="Illmer" /> Bubis withdrew his claim that Walser had been intentionally incendiary, and Walser maintained that his speech was unambiguous. They agreed that no appropriate language had yet been found to deal with Germany's past.<ref name="LEMO" />

== Works ==
[[File:Gruppe 47 - Sechzig Jahre danach 6.jpg|thumb|Walser (l.) and Grass at a meeting of members of [[Group 47]], 2007]]
[[File:Martin walser 03.jpg|thumb|Walser in 2008]]
[[File:Martin Walser 2010.JPG|thumb|Walser in 2010]]
[[File:Martin Walser auf dem Blauen Sofa der LBM 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|Walser in 2012]]
[[File:Porträtplastik Martin Walser Schrägansicht.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait sculpture, 2006]]
Walser's books were published by Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt, until 2003. The publisher printed an edition of his works in 12 volumes in 1997.<ref name="Suhrkamp">{{cite book |title=Martin Walser |url=https://www.suhrkamp.de/person/martin-walser-p-5174 |publisher=[[Suhrkamp Verlag]] |language=de |access-date=30 July 2023 }}</ref> Beginning in 2004, Walser's works were published by Rowohlt, Reinbek. His works include:<ref name="Fetz">{{cite book|last=Fetz |first=G. B. |chapter=Bibliographie |title=Martin Walser. Sammlung Metzler |date=1997 |pages=190–218 |publisher=J. B. Metzler |doi=10.1007/978-3-476-03995-8_9 |isbn=978-3-476-10299-7 |language=de}}</ref>
* ''Beschreibung einer Form: Versuch über die epische Dichtung Franz Kafkas'', dissertation (1951)
* ''{{ill|Ein Flugzeug über dem Haus und andere Geschichten|de}}'', story collection (1955), {{ISBN|3-518-39288-3}}
* ''[[Marriage in Philippsburg|Ehen in Philippsburg]]'', novel (1957) {{ISBN|978-3-499-10557-9}} – ''The Gadarene Club'' (1960) {{OL|5831047M}} / ''Marriage in Philippsburg'' (1961) {{OL|18912147M}}
* ''Halbzeit'', novel (1960) {{ISBN|3-518-04623-3}}, first part of the [[Anselm Kristlein trilogy|''Anselm Kristlein'' trilogy]]<ref name="LEMO" />
* ''{{ill|Eiche und Angora|de}}'', play (1962) – ''The Rabbit Race'' (1963) – adapted by [[Ronald Duncan]] {{OL|7798978M}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7145-0497-1}}
* ''{{ill|Der Schwarze Schwan|de|Der Schwarze Schwan (Martin Walser)}}'', play (1964) {{OL|13727777M}}
* ''Überlebensgroß Herr Krott: Requiem für einen Unsterblichen'' (1964) {{ISBN|3-518-00055-1}}
* ''{{ill|Lügengeschichten|de}}'', story collection (1964) {{ISBN|3-518-38236-5}}
* ''Erfahrungen und Leseerfahrungen'' (1965) {{OL|5579897M}}
* ''Das Einhorn'', novel (1966) {{ISBN|3-518-06659-5}}, second part of the ''Anselm Kristlein'' trilogy<ref name="LEMO" /> – ''The Unicorn'' (1971) {{OL|5279092M}} {{ISBN|0-7145-0886-1}}
* ''Der Abstecher'', ''Die Zimmerschlacht'', two plays (1967)<ref name="Suhrkamp" /> {{OL|17172133M}} ''Der Abstecher'' translated as – ''The Detour'' – by [[Richard Grunberger]]
* ''{{ill|Heimatkunde: Aufsätze und Reden|de}}'', essays and speeches (1968)
* ''{{ill|Ein Kinderspiel|de}}'', play in two acts (1970)<ref name="Suhrkamp" /> {{ISBN|3-518-00400-X}} 
* ''Fiction'', story (1970) {{OL|4985520M}}
* ''Aus dem Wortschatz unserer Kämpfe'' (1971) {{ISBN|3-87365-009-6}}
* ''Die Gallistl'sche Krankheit'', novel (1972) {{ISBN|3-518-04626-8}}
* ''Der Sturz'' (1973) {{ISBN|3-518-04627-6}}, third part of the ''Anselm Kristlein'' trilogy<ref name="LEMO" />
* ''Das Sauspiel: Szenen aus dem 16. Jahrhundert'' (1975) {{ISBN|3-518-04628-4}}
* ''{{ill|Jenseits der Liebe|de}}'', novel (1976) {{ISBN|3-518-04619-5}} – ''Beyond All Love'' (1983) {{ISBN|978-0-7145-3917-1}}
* ''[[Runaway Horse|Ein fliehendes Pferd]]'' (1978) – ''Runaway Horse: A Novel'' (1987)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ruta |first1=Suzanne |date=1 November 1987 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/01/books/what-s-all-this-dying-helmut.html |title=What's All This Dying, Helmut? |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> {{OL|7931429M}} {{ISBN|978-0-8050-0359-8}}
* ''{{ill|Seelenarbeit|de}}'', novel (1979) {{ISBN|3-518-37401-X}} – ''The Inner Man'' (1984) {{OL|9226852M}}
* ''{{ill|Das Schwanenhaus|de}}'', novel (1980) {{ISBN|3-518-37300-5}} – ''The Swan Villa'' (1983) {{OL|4267409M}}
* ''Selbstbewußtsein<!--sic!--> und Ironie'', Frankfurt lectures (1981) {{ISBN|3-518-11090-X}}
* ''{{ill|Brief an Lord Liszt|de}}'', novel (1982) {{ISBN|3-518-04632-2}} – ''Letter to Lord Liszt'' (1985) {{OL|3020691M}}
* ''In Goethes Hand: Szenen aus dem 19. Jahrhundert'' (1982) {{ISBN|3-518-04629-2}}
* ''Liebeserklärungen'' (1983) {{ISBN|3-518-04521-0}}
* ''[[Breakers (novel)|Brandung]]'', novel (1985) {{ISBN|3-518-03570-3}} – ''Breakers: A Novel'' (1987) {{ISBN|978-0-8050-0415-1}}
* ''Meßmers Gedanken'' (1985) {{ISBN|3-518-03222-4}}
* ''Geständnis auf Raten'' (1986) {{ISBN|3-518-11374-7}}
* ''Die Amerikareise: Versuch, ein Gefühl zu verstehen'' (with {{ill|André Ficus|de}}, Kunstverlag Weingarten, 1986) {{ISBN|3-458-32943-9}}
* ''Dorle und Wolf'', novella (1987) {{ISBN|3-518-02668-2}} – ''No Man's Land'' (1988) {{ISBN|978-0-8050-0667-4}}
* ''{{ill|Jagd (novel)|de|Jagd (Roman)|lt=Jagd}}'', novel (1988) {{ISBN|3-518-40130-0}}
* ''Über Deutschland reden'' (1988) {{ISBN|3-518-11553-7}}
* ''[[Die Verteidigung der Kindheit]]'', novel (1991) {{ISBN|3-518-40380-X}}
* ''Das Sofa'' (written 1961, published 1992) {{ISBN|3-518-40458-X}}
* ''{{ill|Ohne einander|de}}'', novel (1993) {{ISBN|3-518-40542-X}}
* ''Vormittag eines Schriftstellers'' (1994) {{ISBN|3-518-40603-5}}
* ''Kaschmir in Parching: Szenen aus der Gegenwart'' (1995) {{ISBN|3-518-40740-6}}
* ''{{ill|Finks Krieg|de}}'', novel (1996) {{ISBN|3-518-40791-0}}
* ''Deutsche Sorgen'' (1997) {{ISBN|3-518-39158-5}}
* ''Heimatlob: Ein Bodensee-Buch'', illustrated book about Lake Constance (with Ficus, [[Insel Verlag]], 1998) {{ISBN|3-458-34074-2}}
* ''[[A Gushing Fountain|Ein springender Brunnen]]'', novel (1998) {{ISBN|3-518-41010-5}} – ''A Gushing Fountain'' (2015)<ref name="Kieselbach" />
* ''{{ill|Der Lebenslauf der Liebe|de}}'', novel (2000) {{ISBN|3-518-41270-1}}
* ''{{ill|Tod eines Kritikers|de}}'', novel (2002) {{ISBN|3-518-41378-3}}
* ''Meßmers Reisen'' (2003) {{ISBN|3-518-41463-1}}
* ''{{ill|Der Augenblick der Liebe|de}}'', novel (2004) {{ISBN|3-498-07353-2}}
* ''Die Verwaltung des Nichts'', essays (2004) {{ISBN|3-498-07354-0}}
* ''Leben und Schreiben: Tagebücher 1951–1962'', diaries (2005) {{ISBN|978-3-499-24427-8}}
* ''Angstblüte'', novel (2006) {{ISBN|3-498-07357-5}}
* ''Der Lebensroman des Andreas Beck'', novel about {{ill|Andreas Beck (writer)|de|Andreas Beck (Autor)|lt=Andreas Beck}} (Edition Isele, Eggingen, 2006) {{ISBN|3-86142-401-0}}
* ''Das geschundene Tier'', 39 ballads (2007) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07359-6}}.
* ''The Burden of the Past: Martin Walser on Modern German Identity'' (in English, 2008), {{ISBN|978-1-57113-789-0}}, {{JSTOR|10.7722/j.ctt82047}}
* ''[[A Man in Love (novel)|Ein liebender Mann]]'', novel about the aging Goethe (2008)<ref name="Fuhr">{{cite news |last = Fuhr | first = Eckart | title = Das ungeheure Glück des Martin Walser |url = https://www.welt.de/kultur/article1180264/Das-ungeheure-Glueck-des-Martin-Walser.html |work = [[Die Welt]] | language = de | access-date = 30 July 2023 }}</ref> {{ISBN|978-3-498-07363-3}} – ''A Man in Love''
* ''Leben und Schreiben. Tagebücher 1963–1973'', diaries (2008) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07358-9}}.
* ''Mein Jenseits'', novella (Berlin University Press, 2010) {{ISBN|978-3-940432-77-3}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.literarische-bilder-unserer-zeit.uni-koeln.de/index.php/Monika_Hartkopf:_Analyse_von_Martin_Walsers_Novelle_%22Mein_Jenseits%22 |title=Martin Walser, Mein Jenseits (von Monika Hartkopf) – Literarische Altersbilder |language = de |access-date=29 July 2023 }}</ref>
* ''Leben und Schreiben. Tagebücher 1974–1978'', diaries (2010) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07369-5}}
* ''Muttersohn'' novel (2011) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07378-7}}
* ''Meine Lebensreisen'' (Corso, Hamburg, 2012) {{ISBN|978-3-86260-045-8}}
* ''Über Rechtfertigung, eine Versuchung: Zeugen und Zeugnisse'' (2012) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07381-7}}
* ''Das dreizehnte Kapitel'' (2012) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07382-4}}
* ''Meßmers Momente'' (2013) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07383-1}}
* ''Die Inszenierung'' (2013) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07384-8}}
* ''Shmekendike blumen. Ein Denkmal / A dermonung für Sholem Yankev Abramovitsh.'' (2014) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07387-9}}
* ''Schreiben und Leben. Tagebücher 1979–1981'', diaries (2014) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07386-2}}
* ''Ein sterbender Mann'' (2016) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07388-6}}
* ''Statt etwas, oder Der letzte Rank'' (2017) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07392-3}}
* ''Ewig aktuell : aus gegebenem Anlass.'' (2017) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07393-0}}
* with [[Jakob Augstein]]: ''Das Leben wortwörtlich. Ein Gespräch.'', conversation (2017) {{ISBN|978-3-498-00680-8}}
* ''Gar alles oder Briefe an eine unbekannte Geliebte.'' (2018) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07400-5}}
* ''Spätdienst. Bekenntnis und Stimmung'', with illustrations by Alissa Walser (2018) {{ISBN|978-3-498-07407-4}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://literaturkritik.de/ungluecksglueck-martin-walsers-poetischer-spaetdienst,25172.html |title=Unglücksglück : Martin Walsers poetischer "Spätdienst" |date=10 December 2018 |language = de |access-date=17 May 2021 }}</ref>
* ''Mädchenleben oder Die Heiligsprechung. Legende.'' (2019) {{ISBN|978-3-498-00196-4}}
* ''Sprachlaub oder: Wahr ist, was schön ist'' (2021) {{ISBN|978-3-498-00239-8}}
* ''Das Traumbuch. Postkarten aus dem Schlaf'', with [[Cornelia Schleime]] (2022) {{ISBN|978-3-498-00319-7}}

=== Film scripts ===
* ''Chiarevalle wird entdeckt'', directed by Hannes Tannert (1963, TV film)
* ''[[Havoc (1972 film)|Das Unheil]]'' (''Havoc''), directed by [[Peter Fleischmann]] (1972)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://peter-fleischmann.de/filme/das-unheil/ | title = Das Unheil | website = peter-fleischmann.de | date = | language = de |access-date = 30 July 2023}}</ref>
* ''[[Weak Spot]]'', directed by [[Peter Fleischmann]] (1975)
* ''[[Tatort]]: {{ill|Armer Nanosh|de|Tatort: Armer Nanosh|lt=Armer Nanosh}}'', 1989 episode directed by {{ill|Stanislav Barabáš|de}}<ref name="Movie" />
* ''Tassilo'', directed by {{ill|Hajo Gies|de}} (1991, TV series, 6 episodes)

=== Films of Walser's novels and plays ===
* ''Der Abstecher'', directed by {{ill|Günter Gräwert|de}} (1962, TV film, based on the play of the same name)<ref name="Movie">{{cite web | url = http://www.moviepilot.de/people/martin-walser/filmography | title = Martin Walser | website = moviepilot.de | date = 2023 | language = de | access-date = 30 July 2023}}</ref>
* ''Eiche und Angora'', directed by {{ill|Rainer Wolffhardt|de}} (1964, TV film, based on the play of the same name)
* ''Eiche und Angora'', directed by {{ill|Helmut Schiemann|de}} (East Germany, 1965, TV film, based on the play of the same name)
* ''Die Zimmerschlacht'', directed by [[Franz Peter Wirth]] (1969, TV film, based on the play of the same name)<ref name="Movie" />
* ''Überlebensgroß Herr Krott'', directed by Martin Batty and Karl Vibach (1971, TV film, based on the play of the same name)
* ''[[The Unicorn (1978 film)|Das Einhorn]]'', directed by [[Peter Patzak]] (1978, based on the novel of the same name)<ref name="Movie" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.filmdienst.de/film/details/23923/das-einhorn | title = Das Einhorn | website = filmdienst.de | date = 2023 | language = de | access-date = 30 July 2023 }}</ref>
* ''{{ill|The Fall (1979 film)|de|Der Sturz (Film)|lt=Der Sturz}}'', directed by [[Alf Brustellin]] (1979, based on the novel of the same name)<!--18 January 1979--><ref name="Movie" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.filmdienst.de/film/details/45522/der-sturz-1978 | title = Der Sturz | website = filmdienst.de | date = 2023 | language = de | access-date = 30 July 2023 }}</ref>
* ''{{ill|Runaway Horse (1986 film)|de|Ein fliehendes Pferd (1986)|lt=Ein fliehendes Pferd}}'', directed by [[Peter Beauvais]] (1986, TV film, based on the novella of the same name)<!--26 March 1986--><ref name="Fuhr" /><ref name="Movie" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.filmportal.de/film/ein-fliehendes-pferd_03b8d17d01534caca255fd096969bd62 | title = Ein fliehendes Pferd | website = filmportal.de | date = 2023 | language = de | access-date = 30 July 2023 }}</ref>
* ''Alles aus Liebe: Säntis'', directed by {{ill|Rainer Boldt|de}} (1986, TV series episode, based on the story ''Säntis'')<!--April 11, 1986-->
* ''Ohne einander'', directed by {{ill|Diethard Klante|de}} (2007, TV film, based on the novel of the same name)<ref name="Movie" /><ref>{{cite news | last = Tieschky | first = Claudia | url = http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/neu-im-fernsehen-walsers-ohne-einander-ganz-reizende-kuenstlermenschen-1.895167 | title = "Ganz reizende Künstlermenschen" | newspaper = [[Süddeutsche Zeitung]] | date = 19 May 2010 | language = de | access-date = 30 July 2023 }}</ref>
* ''{{ill|Ein fliehendes Pferd (2007 film)|de|Ein fliehendes Pferd (2007)|lt=Ein fliehendes Pferd}}'', directed by [[Rainer Kaufmann]] (2007, based on the novella of the same name)<ref name="Fuhr" /><ref name="Movie" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.crew-united.com/de/projekte/displayProjectdata.asp?IDPD=42562# | title = Ein fliehendes Pferd | website = crew-united.com | date = 2023 | language = de | access-date = 30 July 2023 }}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.literaturport.de/index.php?id=28&no_cache=1&tid=281 Audio clip from the novel "Ein liebender Mann" (2008), read out on Literaturport.de by Martin Walser himself (in German)]
* [http://www.literaturport.de/index.php?id=28&no_cache=1&tid=111 Audio clip from the novel "Angstblüte" (2006) on Literaturport.de (in German)]

{{Martin Walser}}
{{Georg Büchner Prize}}
{{Schiller Memorial Prize winners}}
{{Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walser, Martin}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Lindau (district)]]
[[Category:20th-century German novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century German novelists]]
[[Category:Writers from Bavaria]]
[[Category:German Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)]]
[[Category:University of Regensburg alumni]]
[[Category:University of Tübingen alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts]]
[[Category:Schiller Memorial Prize winners]]
[[Category:Georg Büchner Prize winners]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin]]
[[Category:20th-century German dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century German male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:21st-century German dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:21st-century German male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Members of the German Academy for Language and Literature]]
[[Category:20th-century German male novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century German male novelists]]
[[Category:Nazi Party members]]
[[Category:Luftwaffenhelfer]]
[[Category:Walser family|Martin]]