Heinrich Böll Criticism
Heinrich Böll, a central figure in post-war German literature, is celebrated for his incisive critiques of German society following World War II. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972, Böll is often seen as "the conscience of the German nation," using his work to explore themes of compassion, social reform, and the moral complexities of war. His literature, marked by a concise yet powerful prose style, provides a stark contrast to the propagandist writings of Nazi Germany, as explored in the analysis of Böll's short fiction in The Rhetoric of Citation and the Ideology of War in Heinrich Böll's Short Fiction.
Born into a Catholic family in Cologne, Böll's early life was shaped by his opposition to Nazi politics. This resistance is reflected in his refusal to join the Hitler Youth and later experiences as a soldier during World War II. His early works, such as the novella The Train Was on Time and "Breaking the News," delve into the futility of war and mortality, a perspective examined in Nothing Pretentious about Life and Art. These themes continue to resonate through his critiques of Germany's post-war reconstruction, where he addresses capitalism and societal guilt, as noted in The Short Stories of Heinrich Böll.
Böll’s narrative style, often compared to Hemingway and Kafka, uses simple and symbolic introspection to explore the absurdity of life and war's trauma. His short stories, such as "The Thrower-Away," satirize the absurdities of job creation post-war, critiqued in The Irreverent Germans. His novels from the 1960s and 1970s, including The Clown and Group Portrait with Lady, scrutinize Germany's efforts to establish a new identity, with The Clown offering a biting satire of societal and religious hypocrisy, as analyzed by Frank J. Warnke.
In works like Acquainted with the Night and later The Safety Net, Böll addresses the challenges of reintegration into civilian life and modern societal divisions amidst terrorism, discussed by Robert Alter. His narratives also reflect on personal and collective histories, a theme explored in Heroine and Narrator in Heinrich Böll's 'Gruppenbild Mit Dame'. Despite criticisms of narrative repetitiveness, as noted by D. J. Enright, Böll's commitment to moral inquiry and artistic innovation remains influential.
Furthermore, Böll's work is recognized for its duality between fiction and nonfiction, as seen in Irisches Tagebuch, which captures the transformative power of travel on perception, analyzed by Cecile Cazort Zorach. His literary philosophy emphasized personal acts of love and sacrifice over political and religious dogmas, a recurring theme in Brian Murdoch's analysis. Böll's work continues to offer critical insights into the human condition amid historical upheavals.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Böll, Heinrich (Vol. 15)
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Point of View in the Early Satires of Heinrich Böll
(summary)
In the following essay, Brian Murdoch analyzes Heinrich Böll's early satirical techniques in three stories, highlighting Böll's use of first-person narratives to explore themes of artificiality and self-delusion, while discussing how these stories reflect broader satirical purposes and narrative complexities in Böll's work.
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Two Faces of Erin: The Dual Journey in Heinrich Böll's 'Irisches tagebuch'
(summary)
In the following essay, Cecile Cazort Zorach explores the dualistic narrative structure and thematic elements in Heinrich Böll's "Irisches Tagebuch," arguing that the book navigates between fiction and nonfiction, and delves into the transformative impact of travel on perspective and perception.
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Point of View in the Early Satires of Heinrich Böll
(summary)
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Böll, Heinrich (Theodor)
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Paul Pickrel
(summary)
In the following essay, Paul Pickrel argues that Heinrich Böll's novel "Acquainted with the Night" captures a deeply personal and moral narrative of post-war Germany, highlighting the struggles of a family's acceptance, responsibility, and religious insufficiency within a bombed-out Catholic city.
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Ironic Sketches
(summary)
In the following essay, Edwin Kennebeck analyzes Heinrich Böll's writing style in his war vignettes, praising the honesty and irony of his narratives while critiquing the lack of depth and unified vision compared to Böll's later works, which offer more profound religious and existential insights.
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Paths of Glory
(summary)
In the following essay, Anthony West critiques Heinrich Böll's novel "The Train Was on Time" as a technically regressive yet emotionally compelling earlier work that reveals the author's evolving literary skill through its allegorical portrayal of a soldier's journey into despair during World War II.
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The Premonition
(summary)
In the following essay, Edwin Kennebeck argues that Heinrich Böll's The Train was on Time transcends nationalistic writing, focusing instead on art to portray the war's impact on individuals, emphasizing immediate sensations over grand narratives, thus positioning the novel as a poignant, universal testament rather than an apology or excuse.
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The Novels and Stories of Heinrich Böll
(summary)
In the following essay, H. M. Waidson argues that Heinrich Böll's literature vividly depicts the trauma of war and the complexities of post-war life, using sharp realism and fantasy to critique societal hypocrisy and explore moral responsibilities, while maintaining a focus on the marginalized individuals affected by historical upheavals.
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The World of Heinrich Böll
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard Plant analyzes Heinrich Böll's literary universe, emphasizing the recurring motifs of post-war desolation, victimized characters, and the interplay of existential ennui and spiritual ambiguity, while also critiquing Böll's satirical works for their narrow focus and exploring his narrative techniques that foster reader empathy.
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Ancient Dreams
(summary)
In the following essay, Matthew Hodgart critiques Heinrich Böll's novel Billiards at Half Past Nine for its imaginative diagnosis of modern politics and masterful narrative technique, while expressing reservations about its quietist solution and certain narrative elements that seem contrived.
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Wessex Gothic
(summary)
In the following essay, Bernard Bergonzi critiques Heinrich Böll's Billiards at Half Past Nine for its overuse of experimental techniques such as flashbacks and interior monologues, arguing that these devices obscure the novel's narrative and diminish its overall effectiveness.
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Obeisance to Empty Forms
(summary)
In the following essay, Joseph P. Bauke contends that Heinrich Böll's novel "Billiards at Half Past Nine" showcases his mastery in storytelling and character depiction while ambitiously exploring three generations of a German family, intertwining their experiences with the country's historical trajectory.
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Saeva Indignatio on the Rhine
(summary)
In the following essay, Frank J. Warnke argues that Heinrich Böll's novel The Clown should be seen as a traditional satire that critiques individual and societal hypocrisy, rather than merely a condemnation of German national character, reflecting a profound Catholic value system while addressing themes of capitalism, religion, and societal moral decay.
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The Unsaid Says Much
(summary)
In the following essay, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. argues that Heinrich Böll's novellas in "Absent Without Leave" effectively use narrative omissions to highlight the psychological aftermath of war while critiquing the glorification of military service, suggesting that Böll's intentional gaps invite readers to ponder the profound impact of conflict on the human soul.
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Worlds of Desolation
(summary)
In the following essay, Victor Lange critiques Heinrich Böll's narrative style and thematic focus, emphasizing Böll's struggle to balance structural complexity and social critique while exploring themes of isolation, moral indifference, and the absurdity of war, ultimately suggesting that Böll's satirical examination of society remains overshadowed by his abstract storytelling and emotional intensity.
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Eighteen Stories
(summary)
In the following essay, Tamas Aczel argues that Heinrich Böll stands out among German writers for his ability to portray the intersection of personal and political life with irony and satire, focusing on the moral complexities in post-war Germany without resorting to experimental styles, and maintaining a profound sense of human values and consciousness.
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Grand Inquisitor
(summary)
In the following essay, V. S. Pritchett critiques Heinrich Böll's use of interrogation as a narrative device in Group Portrait with Lady, highlighting its effectiveness in portraying German society's complexities, while noting that the characterization of Leni suffers from over-factualization and lack of a distinct voice.
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Robert C. Conard
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert C. Conard explores how Heinrich Böll navigated the linguistic and thematic challenges facing postwar German writers, emphasizing Böll's restoration of literary German and his innovative methods in short storytelling influenced by Hemingway and Camus, while maintaining a critique of societal values and exploring existential themes.
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A Novel of Terrorism in Germany
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard Gilman critiques Heinrich Böll's novel "The Safety Net" for its lack of suspense and its failure to effectively merge its subplots and themes, arguing that Böll's dedication to moral and humanitarian issues often undermines the artistic quality of his work.
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The Shadow of Terrorism
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Alter argues that Heinrich Böll's novel The Safety Net poignantly critiques modern societal divisiveness by contrasting it with an unsentimental nostalgia for a past sense of community, embodying the enduring human need for love and connection amidst the pervasive threat of terrorism.
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The Squeeze Is On
(summary)
In the following essay, John Updike critiques Heinrich Böll's novel "The Safety Net" for its surreal realism and narrative structure, arguing that while it provides psychological insight and explores themes of power and religion, it ultimately leaves readers with a sense of social claustrophobia and an ambiguous message on the inevitability of socialism.
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Paul Pickrel
(summary)
- Böll, Heinrich (Vol. 9)
- Böll, Heinrich (Vol. 6)
- Böll, Heinrich (Vol. 2)
- Böll, Heinrich (Vol. 3)
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Böll, Heinrich (Vol. 11)
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D. J. Enright
(summary)
In the following essay, D. J. Enright examines Heinrich Böll's novel "The Clown," asserting that while the protagonist Schnier embodies a unique blend of innocence and irony, Böll's narrative sometimes suffers from excessive explicitness and repetitiveness, yet ultimately provides a rare and significant commentary on authenticity and integrity in art and life.
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Heinrich Böll
(summary)
In the following essay, W. E. Yuill examines the works of Heinrich Böll, emphasizing his portrayal of post-war German life, his unique sense of time and memory, and his blend of realism with symbolic and introspective storytelling, while critiquing the limitations in his moral dichotomy of characters.
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Heroine and Narrator in Heinrich Böll's 'Gruppenbild Mit Dame'
(summary)
In the following essay, H. M. Waidson examines Heinrich Böll's novel Gruppenbild mit Dame, highlighting its narrative structure, themes of individual versus social history, and the roles of the heroine Leni and the narrator, emphasizing the blend of historical and personal dimensions in the novel's portrayal of post-war German society.
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Heinrich Böll's Eccentric Rebels
(summary)
In the following essay, W. G. Cunliffe examines Heinrich Böll's transition from championing the private individual against state conformity in his early works to exploring a compromise through eccentric rebellion, reflecting the evolution of German societal values post-World War II.
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For the Defence
(summary)
In the following essay, Michael Butler examines Heinrich Böll's narrative works as a reflection on the evolution of post-war West Germany, highlighting Böll's consistent artistic innovation and his unwavering commitment to defending marginalized individuals against the pressures of an impersonal society.
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Living in War's Landscape
(summary)
In the following essay, Diana Rowan argues that Heinrich Böll's novels, particularly those set in postwar Germany, explore the grotesque yet familiar realities of violence and despair, posing unanswered questions about their origins and effects while emphasizing the emotional impact of war on ordinary lives.
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D. J. Enright
(summary)
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Böll, Heinrich
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The Unsaid Says Much
(summary)
Vonnegut is an American writer of darkly comic fiction which reflects his essential compassion for humanity and his complete pessimism. He rose to prominence during the 1960s with such works as Cat's Cradle (1963), God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965), and Slaughterhouse Five (1969), which is considered his best novel to date. His novels and short stories, which frequently contain elements of science fiction, satirize human stupidity, shortsightedness, and brutality, assailing in particular humanity's tendency towards warfare and the worship of automation. In the following review, he praises the incomplete quality of the two novellas comprising Absent without Leave.
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The Irreverent Germans
(summary)
In the following favorable review, he examines stylistic aspects of Böll's Absent without Leave.
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The Short Stories of Heinrich Böll
(summary)
In the following essay, Baacke provides a thematic analysis of Böll's short fiction, focusing on the principal theme of war and its portrayal in Böll's stories, which often take place in settings where the battle has not yet begun or has just ended.
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A review of 18 Stories
(summary)
In the following essay, Smith explores the childlike aspects of Böll's short fiction.
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Watcher on the Rhine
(summary)
In the following review, Bauke lauds 18 Stories, maintaining that "it is a measure of Böll's insight and wisdom that his stories, despite their intensely local color, have universal application."
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Jeep Thrills
(summary)
In the following review, the critic commends the diverse range of characters in Böll's novella Ende einer Dienstfahrt.
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At the Fringes of the Miracle
(summary)
In the following favorable review, he examines themes common in BÖll 's short fiction.
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Children Are Civilians Too
(summary)
In the following essay, Schwarz asserts that most of Böll's early stories depict the dreariness of war.
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Böll—'A Miniature Dante'
(summary)
In the following review, he provides a positive assessment of Children Are Civilians Too.
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A review of The Bread of Those Early Years
(summary)
In the following negative review, Annan finds The Bread of Those Early Years typical of Böll's work. Walter Fendrich, a washing-machine maintenance man, is the first-person hero of this novella, twenty-three, Catholic, a virgin, and engaged to his employer's daughter, Ulla Wickweber. The story takes place in Cologne on a Monday in March during the early 1950s. Walter's father, a schoolteacher in a small town, has asked him to find a room for the daughter of a colleague who is coming to the city to train as a teacher. The moment Walter sees Hedwig he falls in love with her, both sexually and ontologically. In a semi-mystical flash he realizes that she represents an alternative way of life—less tough and less materialist than life with Ulla. By the end of the day and after various vicissitudes, including Walter's farewell interview with Ulla, Walter and Hedwig are ready to fulfil their destiny by going to bed together—without the blessing of the Church, although Hedwig is also a practising Catholic. Why they cannot wait to get it is never quite explained, but their hurry is made to seem somehow existential.
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Heinrich Böll's Die verlorene Ehre der Katherina Blum as Novelle
(summary)
In the following essay, Sinka summarizes how Die verlorene Ehre has been classified (variously as a novella, novel, and political pamphlet) and explores how genrebased perceptions affect interpretations of Böll's work.
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Heinrich Böll's Political Reevaluation of Adalbert Stifter: An Interpretation of Böll's 'Epilog zu Stifters "Nachsommer" '
(summary)
In the following essay, Conrad determines the influence of Adalbert Stifter's novel Der Nachsommer on Böll's story "Epilog zu Stifters 'Nachsommer'," and asserts that "although [the story] reads as an entertaining spoof, on close analysis it reveals Böll's serious social concerns at the beginning of the seventies."
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The Rhenish Foxes: An Approach to Heinrich Böll's Ende einer Dienstfahrt
(summary)
In the following essay, Holbeche examines Böll's interpretation of the relationship between 'the artist as social critic and the state' as evinced in his Ende einer Dienstfahrt.
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'Konduktion and Niveauunterschiede': The Structure of Böll's Katharina Blum
(summary)
In the following essay, Sewell analyzes the form of Böll's novella Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum, describing it as "a structure which threatens to slip into chaos, but paradoxically does not."
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Carnival in Cologne: A Reading of Heinrich Böll's Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum
(summary)
In the following essay, Holbeche explores the significance of the carnival in Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum.
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Modern Germany's Master Storyteller
(summary)
Prawer is a German-born English critic and educator specializing in German literature, particularly the work of Heinrich Heine. In the following review of The Stories of Heinrich Böll, he analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the short fiction comprising the collection. This generous selection from the late Heinrich Böll's shorter and medium-sized fictions forms an ideal introduction to one of the world's master storytellers. No German author has managed so consistently to arrest attention by a striking opening sentence, and few have so successfully cultivated the kind of short story which makes a strong point in just a page or two. Arranged in roughly chronological order, these tales add up to an inner history of Germany from the 1940s to the late 1970s, seen from a sharply defined point of view.
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When They Were Wrong They Were Right
(summary)
In the following favorable review, he examines the plots, characters, and major themes of the stories collected in The Stories of Heinrich Böll.
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A review of The Casualty
(summary)
In the following positive review, Lesserday compares BÖll's early war stories to those of Ernest Hemingway.
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A Language to Live In
(summary)
In the following mixed review, Berman contends that the stories in The Casualty are vivid but not as accomplished as BÖll's later works.
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Nothing Pretentious about Life and Art
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Wilhelmus offers a mixed review of The Casualty, noting that Böll, well known to American audiences, resembles Hemingway in his blunt, uncompromising portrayal of the brutality of war, its occasional absurdity, its desperate humor, and its dehumanizing effects.
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Katharina Blum: Violence and the Exploitation of Sexuality
(summary)
In the following essay, Armster examines the issue of sexual exploitation in Die verlorene Ehre her Katharina Blum.
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The Rhetoric of Citation and the Ideology of War in Heinrich BÖll's Short Fiction
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Berman analyzes the semiotic aspects of BÖll's short story 'When the War Began.' Böll's 1961 story presents itself as a personal recollection of a historical moment, linking objective and subjective dimensions by eliding the title with the initial sentence. Grand history and individual experience collide, generating the existential scenario typical of much of BÖll's work: the living individual in conflict with hierarchies of power. The text raises questions about whether it should be treated as primarily a subjective remembrance or as an attempt at a definitive, objective account of the historical moment.
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The Unsaid Says Much
(summary)
- Further Reading