Wolfgang Koeppen belongs to that generation of German novelists whose careers started just as Hitler came to power. The formative life experiences of Koeppen and writers such as Stefan Andres, Emil Belzner, Martin Kessel, Ernst Kreuder, and Horst Lange occurred during the years of the Weimar Republic, but political circumstances prevented them from developing their skills as writers when their need to give literary expression to their concerns was most urgent. Forced into virtual silence during the Third Reich, they expected a social and moral regeneration of Germany after the war and worked toward that goal in their writings. They were keen observers of daily life and especially of political developments during the crucial early years of the Federal Republic: and they eagerly adopted the techniques of the exemplary works of modern world literature in order to return German writing to international standards.

Their artistic productivity reached a...