The Tin Drum

This is a new translation of the classic novel, offered on the fiftieth anniversary of its original publication. [Translated by Breon Mitchell]
[ Read by Paul Michael Garcia ]

The Tin Drum , one of the great novels of the twentieth century, became a runaway best-seller and catapulted its young author to the forefront of world literature. Now on the book's fiftieth anniversary comes this new translation by Breon Mitchell, one that is faithful to Grass's style and rhythm, restores omissions, and reflects more fully the complexity of the original work.

This is the story of Oskar Matzerath, a dwarfish hunchback detained in a mental hospital, convicted of a murder he did not commit. From his third birthday when he received a tin drum, it has become the means of his expression, allowing him to draw forth memories from his past as well as from the Nazi era. Oskar's imaginative distortion and exaggeration of history reveals a startlingly true portrayal of the human situation.