The Grimms' tale of "The fisherman and his wife" counts as a notorious piece of misogyny: in the published version of the tale (there are others, of course), the wife Ilsebill keeps demanding more and more from the magic flounder until her greed has destroyed their happiness altogether. So, naturally, Grass uses it as an ironic central motif for this novel, his definitive analysis of the History of Women. Which is also — incidentally — a history of cooking, and of human settlement in the Danzig/Gdansk city and region, from matriarchal clans of neolithic times to the 1970 strike in the Lenin Shipyard.

Grass clearly means well, and his conclusion isn't very favourable to the way men have run the world, but even as far back as 1977, it's still quite an arrogant task for a male writer to set himself. With hindsight, there are probably roles that his proletarian strong women of history could have filled other than as cooks, nurturers and bed-warmers, and he doesn't really do himself any favours by his gently ironic treatment of the modern women in the feminist tribunal that is trying the flounder for his crimes against womanhood. Especially since the narrator, constantly reincarnated in new male characters, seems to have slept with all of the women in the book...

As always, a tour-de-force piece of writing, clever, witty and knowledgeable, but maybe not the Grass novel you should be rushing to re-read 45 years on. Unless you are fascinated by Baltic cuisine, in which case you can just read it for the recipes (not suitable for vegetarians!). ( )

One of my favorite novels ever. I've devoured, with intentional puns, this one twice, the second time in tandem with my friends. This represents the purpose of literature. One's culinary awareness is doubtless to be inspired within these pages. Delicious, sinuous and robust, a divine brush paints along his narration, one timeless and laden with vibrato. He is similar to the Magical Realists, only better. ( )

Kampela, yksi Günter Grassin tunnetuimmista romaaneista, on mittava ja monitasoinen teos. Se kattaa koko tunnetun historian myyttiseltä kivikaudelta Veikselin suistossa 1970-luvun Gdanskiin. Nimensä se on saanut kansasadusta, jossa köyhän kalastajan pyydystämä kala lupaa vapaaksi päästäkseen täyttää pyytäjänsä toiveet.
Teoksen ensimmäinen taso on historiallinen. Miehinen kertoja syntyy yhä uudestaan eri aikakausina, ja kampela auttaa neuvoillaan hänen vaellustaan historian läpi. Kertojan naisten, yhdentoista ”keittäjättären” kautta välittyy kuva kulttuurin kehityksestä. Naisten hallinnassa ovat elämänikuiset perustekijät, ravinto, ruoanlaitto ja lisääntyminen. niiden vastakohtana on kampelan alullepanema miehinen historia: sorto, väkivalta, ”edistys”. Romaanin toisen tason muodostaa nykyajassa tapahtuva oikeudenkäynti, jossa kansavälinen naisten tribunaali syyttää kampelaa sovinistisen kulttuurin syntymisestä. Kolmannella tasolla seurataan kertojan ja hänen raskaana olevan vaimonsa yhä onnettomammaksi käyvää avioliittoa.
”Günter Grass on kirjallisuuden suurvalta.” Näin kirjoitti Schweizer Monatshefte vuoden 1977 kirjallisen kohutapauksen Kampelan ilmestymisen johdosta. Kielikuva tavoittaa paljon: Kampela vie lukijan suvereenin Mielikuvituksen maahan, huikeisiin seikkailuihin läpi aikakausien, kautta aistimuste. Tämä on kielen juhlaa, kerronnan hallittu hullunmylly, kirjan välissä suurkeittiö, jossa vuosisadat tirisevät”

Well. Uh. This is definitely something.

An odd book, to put it mildly. Grass has his trademark humor and historical wisdom here. But the whole concept of the novel is something baffling - a talking fish gives advice to the reincarnations of a man and his cook-wife in the areas near Danzig, and the fish is accused by a gang of radical feminists that he has altered the course of history by instituting the patriarchy. There's also a lot of discussion on food, particularly potatoes.

I have no idea what to make of this, but I will return to it. And maybe on a full stomach, as Grass' writing makes me hunger. ( )

One of the best books I've ever slogged my way through. The way he picks apart man verses woman, via the diplomacy of a fish... well you have to read it to believe it. History, myth, magic, folklore & a love of all food. Fill your belly. ( )