Critical opinion in the Federal Republic of Germany regards Ingeborg Drewitz as a political author since she was deeply interested in social and political issues and their treatment in literature. The social relevance of literature is the guiding principle in many of her novels, stories, and plays. Her main concern is to open the reader's eyes to the human aspects of events and to show him the many sides of an issue. She often treats topics that have received attention in the news media, particularly those concerning the politically persecuted, the socially disadvantaged, and people on the outer fringes of society. Another issue to which Drewitz returns regularly is Germany's Nazi past.

Drewitz uses West Berlin as the setting for her novels, observing the city and its people in times of crisis. Much of her work focuses on "das Kleinbürgertum" (the petty bourgeoisie) during crucial periods...