Local Anaesthetic
Günter Grass · 1927–2015 · Germany
Originally Örtlich betäubt (German)
Why it matters
A middle-aged teacher, immobilized in a dentist's chair, argues via television fantasy with a former student bent on self-immolation to protest the Vietnam War. Grass turns 1960s generational conflict into a claustrophobic chamber piece.
At a glance
political novelphilosophical novel
Difficulty 6/10slow pace280 pagesA static, dialogue-heavy frame narrative substitutes argument for conventional plot.
