Hans Werner Richter's place in German literature is secured by the role he played for the Gruppe (Group) 47, a loosely knit association of aspiring writers whose first meeting he called in 1947, when Germany still lay in ruins. As the father of this legendary group, Richter helped bring to prominence many of Germany's literary talents. Writers such as Heinrich Böll, Günter Grass, Uwe Johnson, Hermann Lenz, and Martin Walser, all of whom later gained international fame, were first recognized by the group and its mentor, Richter.

Although Richter made a name for himself in the 1950s as a writer of fiction, his literary career gradually took second place to his service to the group. He had returned from World War II as a spokesman for the "verlorene Generation" (lost generation; analogous to America's lost generation of World War I), with whom he shared the vision...