Oskar Matzerath, from mixed German/Polish (Kashubian) heritage, is born in Danzig during the post WWI period with a well formed mentality and knowledge of life, including his family’s history, such as the strange way his maternal grandparents met which resulted in the birth of his mother Agnes Bronski, and while loving her husband, baker Alfred Matzerath, Agnes’ continuing affair with her cousin, Jan Bronski, a Pole who works at a Polish run post office. With this knowledge, knowing that he will receive a tin drum as a gift on his third birthday, and watching the way adults around him continue to act, Oskar makes a conscious decision that on his third birthday, after he receives his tin drum, that he will stop growing, making it look like an accident has stunted his growth. His tin drums – the original as well as subsequent replacements – will act as symbols of his eternal youth. At a young age, he also learns of another special gift he has which aids in him getting what he wants by causing disruptions around him. Oskar will learn more fully of the consequences of his decision when chronologically he becomes a teenager, which coincides with the Nazi uprising and persecution of Poles and Jews.
—Huggo
参考翻译：
Oskar Matzerath来自德国/波兰（喀舒比）混血血统，一战后出生在丹泽，对生活有着良好的心态和知识，包括他的家族历史，比如他的外祖父母相遇的奇怪方式导致了他的母亲Agnes Bronski的出生，尽管爱着她的丈夫baker Alfred Matzerath，Agnes与表妹的持续婚外情，简·布朗斯基是波兰人，在波兰经营的邮局工作。有了这些知识，知道他将在三岁生日时收到一个锡鼓作为礼物，并观察周围的成年人继续行动的方式，奥斯卡有意识地决定，在他三岁生日收到锡鼓后，他将停止生长，让它看起来像是一场意外阻碍了他的生长。他的锡鼓——最初的以及后来的替代品——将成为他永葆青春的象征。在很小的时候，他还学会了另一种特殊的天赋，这种天赋通过在他周围制造干扰来帮助他得到想要的东西。当奥斯卡成为一名青少年时，他将更全面地了解他的决定的后果，这与纳粹起义和对波兰人和犹太人的迫害不谋而合。-雨果
重点词汇释义：
born in出生于
well formed符合语法规则的; 结构完整的
such as例如; 像; 象…这样; 诸如…之类
post office邮局; 邮政部门; 邮政系统
look like看起来像; 看起来与相像或相似
