Heinrich Boll

Although Heinrich Boll was the most widely read author in the post war Germany, he was barely known in the United States.Boll is a natural story teller and there are not many authors in literary history could convery poignancy within a handful of page as Boll did. This work by Prof. Conrad delivers brief biography, leitmotive of his work, criticism and reception of his work in the post WW II Germany. As the author succeeds to show Boll was highly critical and even strongly comdemnatory for war, fascism and the post ww II economic miracle ,namely ignited by the currency reform in 1948 that , according to Boll, directly or inadvertently made Western Germany as historically amnestic. If you read one of the compilations of his short stories published by North Western University press , you may prematurely conclude that Boll was preoccupied with the WW II and its immediate aftermath. Yet, as the author of this work shows , Boll showed remarkable versatility in light of target of his social criticism. the author successfuly and cogently captures the vissicitude of Boll stance toward Catholic church and christianity from a Christian existentialist to a Christian socialist. It is a relatively short introduction of Boll's work and because of it is rather superannuated , it did not show posthumously published Boll's works such as the silent angel and his juvenelia Youth on fire . That's probably reason that I give 4 stars . otherwise , it is a very good introduction of the Germany's greatest postwar writer.