亲爱的《世界文学》杂志的读者: 在完成了第一部叙事性长篇小说《铁皮鼓》之后,我想写一本较为短小的书,即一部中篇小说。我之所以有意识地选择一种受到严格限制的体裁,是为了在接下去的一本书,即长篇小说《狗的岁月》中重新遵循一项详尽的史诗般的计划。 Dear readers of World Literature magazine: After completing the first narrative novel “Tin Drum,” I wanted to write a shorter book, a novella. The reason I consciously choose a strictly restricted genre is to re-follow a detailed epic program in the next book, The Dogs Years.