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.

'...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

'Heinrich Böll is one of the interesting writers of post war Germany' Punch

'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

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.

Price: £9.99
ISBN: 9780714501246
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