Walser’s stance amounted to a desperate call to allow his country to shape a new national identity – one that reflected its resolute repudiation of fascism and adoption of democracy, rather than its highly regrettable (and regretted) history. And it drew a standing ovation from all but one of the 1,200 illustrious members of the audience in Frankfurt’s Pauluskirche, where Walser was being awarded the German Booksellers Association Peace Prize.
瓦泽尔的立场演变成允许德国形成新的国家身份的大声疾呼——体现在其坚决与法西斯主义决裂、走民主道路上，而不是体现在其令人极其遗憾（也十分后悔）的历史中。这迎来了法兰克福保罗教堂（Pauluskirche，瓦泽尔在这里被授予德国书商协会和平奖）1,200位知名听众异口同声的赞同。唯一的例外是德国犹太人领袖伊格纳茨·巴比斯（Ignatz Bubis）。