“Walter Kempowski, who died on October 5th 2007, was a unique figure among German writers. An East German native, he was interned at Bautzen penitentiary in the early years of the GDR before leaving to the West. He is known primarily for his large-scale literary projects “Deutsche Chronik” (German chronicle) - an autobiographical novel in nine volumes - and “Das Echolot” (echo sounding), a ten-volume collective diary of World War Two in collage form.” (interview)