Grass tried in his literature to come to grips with World War II and the Nazi era . He wrote about how he was a German soldier who had been captured by the Russians during WWII, but escaped from them after being shot at while trying to escape through Russia into Germany. He stoked controversy with his admission to being a member of the Waffen SS .
Grass tried in his literature to come to grips with World War II and the Nazi era . His characters were the downtrodden , and his style slipped into the surreal . He stoked controversy with his admission to being a member of the Waffen SS .