Heinrich Böll facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heinrich Böll
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Böll in 1981
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| Born | Heinrich Theodor Böll 21 December 1917 Cologne, Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 16 July 1985 (aged 67) Langenbroich, West Germany |
| Notable awards | Georg Büchner Prize 1967 Nobel Prize in Literature 1972 |
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Heinrich Theodor Böll (born December 21, 1917 – died July 16, 1985) was a famous German writer. Many people think he was one of Germany's most important writers after World War II. He won the Georg Büchner Prize in 1967 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972.
Contents
A Writer's Life
Early Life and War
Heinrich Böll was born in Cologne, Germany. His family was Catholic and believed in peace, meaning they were against war. They also did not support the Nazis when they came to power. Böll refused to join the Hitler Youth, a Nazi group for young people, in the 1930s.
Before becoming a writer, he worked for a bookseller. He also studied German and old languages at the University of Cologne.
When World War II started, Böll had to join the German army. He fought in many countries like Poland, France, Romania, Hungary, and the Soviet Union. He was hurt four times during the war and got sick with typhoid fever. In April 1945, American soldiers captured him, and he became a prisoner of war.
In 1942, Böll married Annemarie Cech. They had three sons. Annemarie also helped him translate English books into German.
Becoming a Writer
After the war, Böll went back to Cologne. He worked in his family's cabinet shop and for a short time at a government office. He didn't like that job much. So, he decided to take a chance and become a full-time writer when he was 30 years old.
His first book, Der Zug war pünktlich (which means The Train Was on Time), was published in 1949. He became well-known quickly. In 1949, he was invited to a meeting of important German authors called Group 47. His work was even chosen as the best at their 1951 meeting.
After that, he wrote many other books, short stories, radio plays, and essays.
Awards and Achievements
Heinrich Böll was very successful and received many awards.
- In 1967, he won the Georg Büchner Prize, a very important German award for writers.
- In 1972, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Nobel committee said he won because his writing showed a wide view of his time. They also said he was skilled at creating characters, which helped make German literature new again.
He also received many other honors throughout his life. For example, he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1974. He also received the Ossietzky Medal in 1974 for working to protect human rights around the world.
From 1971 to 1973, Böll was the President of PEN International. This is a worldwide group for writers.
Famous Works
Heinrich Böll's books have been translated into more than 30 languages. He is still one of Germany's most popular authors. Some of his most famous books include:
- Billiards at Half-past Nine (1959)
- And Never Said a Word (1953)
- The Bread of Those Early Years (1955)
- The Clown (1963)
- Group Portrait with Lady (1971)
- The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (1974)
- The Safety Net (1979)
Even though his books cover many different topics, some ideas appear often. Many of his stories show how people's private lives struggle against big problems. These problems include war, political fights, and big changes in society. In many of his books, the main characters are strong, unique people. They often stand up against government or other powerful groups.
Böll was a strong pacifist because of his experiences in World War II. All his writing after the war was about the war. He wanted to make sure that war would "never happen again."
What Influenced Him
Cologne and Catholicism
Böll was very connected to his hometown of Cologne. The city had a strong Catholic background and a unique sense of humor. After the war, he often wrote about the memories of the war. He showed how it affected ordinary people, both physically and mentally. He made these everyday people the heroes in his stories.
His Catholic faith was also important to his work. However, he often questioned and challenged parts of Catholicism, rather than just accepting them.
The Nazi takeover of Cologne deeply affected him. He felt like an outsider in his own city. Also, the destruction of Cologne during the Allied bombing left a lasting mark on him. He wrote about this destruction in his book The Silent Angel.
Views on Authority
Böll often wrote about people in power as villains. These included people in government, big businesses, the media, and even the Church. He criticized them, sometimes with humor and sometimes sharply. He felt they often just followed the crowd, lacked courage, were too proud, and misused their power.
For example, in his books, newspapers sometimes lied about people or ruined their lives. This was similar to what Böll himself experienced. He was once wrongly accused of helping and protecting anarchists.
Love for Ireland
Böll loved Ireland and had a second home there on the west coast. This connection might explain why some of his works, like his play A Mouthful of Earth, seem similar to those of Irish writer Samuel Beckett. Böll was also worried about damage to the environment. This concern helped start the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
His Legacy
Heinrich Böll's memory lives on in many ways. The Heinrich Böll Foundation is named after him. A special archive was set up in the Cologne Library to keep his personal papers. Sadly, much of this material was damaged when the building collapsed in 2009.
His cottage in Ireland has been used as a place for writers to stay and work since 1992.
Eric Anderson also created music based on Böll's books, called Silent Angel: Fire and Ashes of Heinrich Böll (2017).
See also
In Spanish: Heinrich Böll para niños
- German literature
- List of German-language authors
