Grass, who had a home near Monchique in Portimão, in the Algarve, was the recipient of a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999. He died on Monday at the age of 87 in a clinic in the German city of Lübeck.
Born in Danzig (now Gdansk) in October 1927, he had owned a home in Mexilhoeira Grande (Portimão) since the 1980s, between Vale das Eiras and Carriçal, which had been designed by the writer himself.
Despite probably being best known for his literary achievements and his first novel, The Tin Drum, Grass was also an accomplished artist and often exhibited drawings, prints and sculptures at the São Lourenço Cultural Centre in Almancil, between 1984 and its closure in 2012.
According to reports in the local press, the writer saw his home in the Algarve as a “retreat” where he would spend long periods, particularly in spring and autumn, with family and friends, writing and drawing.
Speaking to newspaper Sul Informação, Cristina Palma, a designer who managed a number of Grass’s exhibitions at the São Lourenço Cultural Centre, said he had a “close relationship” with Volker and Marie Huber, owners of the Centre, to whom he was a “close friend.”
She described the acclaimed novelist as “a man who loved to tell stories.
“We would sit down with him next to the fireplace and he told stories. It was fascinating.”
In comments to The Portugal News, Marie Huber said, “We are very sad to hear about the passing of Günter Grass. The Centro Cultural São Lourenço had the honour and the pleasure for nearly three decades to enjoy a rich and fruitful collaboration with this multi-talented artist who was recognised worldwide.
“Our aim was to introduce the public in this part of the world to his talent as a plastic artist. In more than 10 individual exhibitions we showed his drawings, watercolours, prints and sculptures in the premises of the Gallery. The artist was present at each occasion and read excerpts from his latest book. “We keep in special memory the 1999 exhibition, shortly after Günter Grass received the Nobel Prize for Literature, where we were able to show watercolours from his book “My Century”. We also showed his oeuvre throughout Portugal (Lisbon, Guarda, Abrantes, Tavira) and in Madrid (Spain).
“Besides being an artist of the gallery, Günter Grass and his wife Ute became our friends and we are very grateful for the many happy and beautiful moments we have spent together. We lost an artist friend and the world is a poorer place without this great man.”
Grass’s first exhibition in Almancil was held in 1984 and included sculptures, drawings and prints relating to his book from the 1950s “Die Blechtrommel” (The Tin Drum), and others were held every two years from then onwards until the last in 2005.
In 2010 he also lent his “high patronage” to the first and only International Literary Festival to be held in the Algarve.
In an email sent to The Portugal News in memory of Grass, an admirer of the author said: “Günter is my favorite German writer (…) The Tin Drum just about blew me away (…) He had a summer place in the Algarve, Portugal and I always wanted to go there for one of his talks had anyone told me when and where.”