--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have seen and drawn dying, poisoned…" description: "\"I have seen and drawn dying, poisoned worlds. I published a book of drawings called 'Death of Wood' about one such world, on the border between the Fed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/gunter-grass-3046_books_i-have-seen-and-drawn-dying-poisoned-wor_438323.jpg" --- # I have seen and drawn dying, poisoned worlds. I published… ![“I have seen and drawn dying, poisoned worlds. I published a book of drawings called 'Death of Wood' about one such world, on the border between the Federal Republic of Germany and what was then still the German Democratic Republic.” quote by Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/gunter-grass-3046_books_i-have-seen-and-drawn-dying-poisoned-wor_438323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/gunter-grass-3046_books_i-have-seen-and-drawn-dying-poisoned-wor_438323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/gunter-grass-3046_books_i-have-seen-and-drawn-dying-poisoned-wor_438323.jpg) > “I have seen and drawn dying, poisoned worlds. I published a book of drawings called 'Death of Wood' about one such world, on the border between the Federal Republic of Germany and what was then still the German Democratic Republic.” [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He explains that his drawings depict devastated, poisoned landscapes, inspired by a border area between West and East Germany, and compiled them into a book titled “Death of Wood.” **In simple terms:** His art shows ruined worlds, especially a German border zone, collected in a book. Key Takeaway Explore how political borders inspire artistic commentary on environmental decay. Themes art environment political borders German history creative expression Mood thoughtful somber Type artistic environmental When to use this quote - exhibition planning - educational curricula - public awareness campaigns - artistic research Key Concepts visual metaphor environmental critique cold war context Questions to Reflect On - What does “poisoned world” symbolize in post‑war Germany? - How can art influence public perception of environmental issues? A Different Perspective Art may romanticize decay, overlooking lived experiences of affected communities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Germany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germany/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The world has only one border. It is called humanity. The differences between us are small compared to our shared humanity. Put humans first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-murad/the-world-has-only-one-border-it-is-called-humanity-the-differences/) [Nadia Murad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-murad/) > [When you have people that are cutting Christians' heads off, when you have a world that the border and at so many places, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/when-you-have-people-that-are-cutting-christians-heads-off-when-you/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Every little girl wanted to be Natalie Wood, as did I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-parrilla/every-little-girl-wanted-to-be-natalie-wood-as-did-i/) [Lana Parrilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-parrilla/) > [When the uncarved wood is split, its parts are put to use. When the sage is put to use, he becomes the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-the-uncarved-wood-is-split-its-parts-are-put-to-use-when-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-mind-is-not-a-vessel-that-needs-filling-but-wood-that-needs/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Don't continue adding wood to the gone flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-villegas/don-t-continue-adding-wood-to-the-gone-flame/) Cassie Villegas > [With 'Ed Wood,' I sobbed. With 'Frankenweenie,' I was crying. With 'Edward Scissorhands,' I always cry. There's always an incredible amount of purity, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/with-ed-wood-i-sobbed-with-frankenweenie-i-was-crying-with-edward/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Am I the only one who has wood over that little vixen?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/am-i-the-only-one-who-has-wood-over-that-little-vixen/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [There's something so empowering about knowing I can pick up an axe and split a piece of wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/there-s-something-so-empowering-about-knowing-i-can-pick-up-an-axe/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [My plan is to open five restaurants based on the five elements in Chinese philosophy: wood, water, fire, earth and metal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-potts-dawson/my-plan-is-to-open-five-restaurants-based-on-the-five-elements-in/) [Arthur Potts Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-potts-dawson/) > [Whether it's a blessing or a curse, I have always played someone like 10 years younger. When I was 23 or 24, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-harnois/whether-it-s-a-blessing-or-a-curse-i-have-always-played-someone-like/) [Elisabeth Harnois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-harnois/) > [I get up every morning and chop wood, and I pretty much do it seven days a week, and I like to do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-get-up-every-morning-and-chop-wood-and-i-pretty-much-do-it-seven/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [A tree's wood is also its memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-tree-s-wood-is-also-its-memoir/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I have always loved wood. Every piece is different. It gets better with age and it has a certain character all of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-linley/i-have-always-loved-wood-every-piece-is-different-it-gets-better-with/) [David Linley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-linley/) > [“To say she is only a woman is to say a violin is a piece of wood with strings, and Dante is mere ink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/to-say-she-is-only-a-woman-is-to-say-a-violin-is-a-piece-of-wood-with/) [Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/) ## More by Gunter Grass > [Melancholy has ceased to be an individual phenomenon, an exception. It has become the class privilege of the wage earner, a mass state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/melancholy-has-ceased-to-be-an-individual-phenomenon-an-exception-it/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [Melancholy and utopia are heads and tails of the same coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/melancholy-and-utopia-are-heads-and-tails-of-the-same-coin/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [If work and leisure are soon to be subordinated to this one utopian principle - absolute busyness - then utopia and melancholy will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/if-work-and-leisure-are-soon-to-be-subordinated-to-this-one-utopian/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [I have often supported Israel, I have often visited the country and want the country to exist and at last find peace with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/i-have-often-supported-israel-i-have-often-visited-the-country-and/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [Whenever there has been talk of exterminating rats, others, who were not rats, have been exterminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/whenever-there-has-been-talk-of-exterminating-rats-others-who-were/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [“You can begin a story in the middle and create confusion by striking out boldly, backward and forward. You can be modern, put aside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/you-can-begin-a-story-in-the-middle-and-create-confusion-by-striking/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [There must be reasons why we men are so hipped on breasts as if we'd all been weaned too soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/there-must-be-reasons-why-we-men-are-so-hipped-on-breasts-as-if-we-d/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [Often I had to imagine the things I needed. I learned very early to read amidst noise. And so I started writing and drawing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/often-i-had-to-imagine-the-things-i-needed-i-learned-very-early-to/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [Art is hard for a puritan to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/art-is-hard-for-a-puritan-to-understand/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [What does a river like the Vistula carry away with it? Everything that goes to pieces: wood, glass, pencils, pacts ... chairs, bones, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/what-does-a-river-like-the-vistula-carry-away-with-it-everything-that/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [Love That’s it: The cashless commerce. The blanket always too short. The loose connexion. To search behind the horizon. To brush fallen leaves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/love-that-s-it-the-cashless-commerce-the-blanket-always-too-short-the/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [“They had tried doing it by themselves in her room with a cheap onion, but it wasn't the same. You needed an audience. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/they-had-tried-doing-it-by-themselves-in-her-room-with-a-cheap-onion/) [Günter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [ \[To be an artist,\] this desire to conquer all with images. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/to-be-an-artist-this-desire-to-conquer-all-with-images/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [After the collapse of socialism, capitalism remained without a rival. This unusual situation unleashed its greedy and - above all - its suicidal power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/after-the-collapse-of-socialism-capitalism-remained-without-a-rival/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [“Suppose you're teaching math. You assume that parallel lines meet at infinity. You'll admit that adds up to something like transcendence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/suppose-you-re-teaching-math-you-assume-that-parallel-lines-meet-at/) [Günter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) [Explore all 128 Gunter Grass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have seen and drawn dying, poisoned worlds. 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