Product Description

In Billiards at Half Past Nine we are shown the state of post war Germany through the lives of the Faehmel family. Böll uses his widely applauded narrative gift to create a cast of splendid complexity. His all-seeing eye falls upon every type of person: the mousy secretary, the psychopathic killer, the saint and the sinner, the worldly-wise and the innocent. Böll's wit and objectivity made him one of the most celebrated commentators on Germany's attempts to come to terms with its past.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30839 in Books
• Published on: 1965-10-01
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'...his work reaches the highest level of creative originality and stylistic perfection.' --The Daily Telegraph

The claim that Böll is a true successor to Thomas Mann, can be defended by his novel Billiards at Half Past Nine. --The Scotsman

In addition to recounting a tale of lives torn apart by war, this novel stands as a masterpiece of character. I read it years ago but still recall how each of the characters comes to life. The story, set in post-WWII Germany is both understated and wrenching - a true accomplishment.' --Jeffrey Deaver , The Week

About the Author
An internationally acclaimed writer, Heinrich Böll's work has been compared with that of Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Mann. Always politically outspoken, he was a founder member of the famous Gruppe 47 and won a succession of German literary prizes as well as the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972. Two other books by Böll: The Clown and Absent Without Leave are also available in paperback from Marion Boyars.

Customer Reviews

Epic story of Post War Germany
This story of post war Germany is not for the casual reader. Taking on the well covered theme of German national socialism and the effects of such organistations as the Hitler youth, Billiards at Half Past Nine spans three generations of the Faehmel family whose lives are inexorably caught up with the events of this turbulent period of Germany's history. Like many of his contemporaries, especially Guenther Grass, Boell handles the issue of Germany's attempts to come to terms with its recent history in scathing style, but nonetheless remains objective.

What really disinguishes this story is Boell's mastery of language, and innovation in uses of what at the time were revolutionary stylistic devices. His characters are convincingly drawn, and the coherent thread which runs throughout the lives of the three men of the family is beautifully spun. At once a searing indictment of German Nazism, and a wonderful story of humanity and human relationships, Billiards at Half Past Nine is a truly epic work of genius, and definitely ranks alongside Grass's The Tin Drum as the best German works of fiction to have emerged from post-war Germany.