--- product_id: 24847274 title: "Billiards at Half-Past Nine (The Essential Heinrich Boll)" price: "AR$4427906" currency: ARS in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/24847274-billiards-at-half-past-nine-the-essential-heinrich-boll store_origin: AR region: Argentina --- # Billiards at Half-Past Nine (The Essential Heinrich Boll) **Price:** AR$4427906 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Billiards at Half-Past Nine (The Essential Heinrich Boll) - **How much does it cost?** AR$4427906 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.ar](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/24847274-billiards-at-half-past-nine-the-essential-heinrich-boll) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Böll’s well-known opposition to fascism and war informs this moving story of a single day in the life of traumatized soldier Robert Faehmel, scion of a family of successful Cologne architects, as he struggles to return to ordinary life after the Second World War. An encounter with a war-time nemesis, now a power in the reconstruction of Germany, forces him to confront private memories and the wounds of Germany’s defeat in the two World Wars. Review: The price structure of survival - There is a good reason Heinrich Böll won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972), and Billiards at Half-Past Nine contributes mightily to that reason. In fewer than 300 pages, the novel delivers a searing look at life for middle class Germans as their country went through two punishing World Wars and recovered itself in the wake of Hitler. The plotline is like a thin aluminum railing that runs around and through panels of its characters' internal narratives, taking place across a single day (6 September 1958) during which the extended Faehmel family comes together for a public celebration. From the first sentence, it is known that forty-something architect Robert Faehmel insists on one thing of the few who know him, that from 9:30 - 11 a.m., his whereabouts never be disclosed except, if need be, to his father, his son, his daughter and a person named Schrella. That would be the time he spends shooting billiards alone at a local hotel, except for the company of a bellhop. You wonder, why aren't his wife and mother on the short list? Who is Schrella? Through the narratives that hop from character to character, arcing across the first half of the 20th century, Böll reveals what happened to ordinary people under the crucible of Fascism; some would embrace it and die fighting; some would survive as government panderers no matter what the leadership; some would be forced to compromise their ideals; some would stick to them but at costs; some would fight it; innocents would be killed, collateral damage. The youngest generation would not emerge undamaged, either. The actions and choices of individuals impact each other and the future much as the billiard balls strike off one another. What makes this so very readable are the fully realized Faehmels, a flesh and blood clan rendered with sympathy. However tragic, it is also life affirming. Notes on this edition: Jessa Crispin's afterword considers how the German cultural reverence of motherhood fared in these years and its import for the characters. I don't speak or read German, but the translation seems quite authentic and lucid. Review: War Wounds - 1958, and Germany undergoes political, social and economic reformation.Robert Faehmel looks back over the period of two world wars enabling Boll to explore themes of identity and what fashions identity.German culture led to aggressive militiarism-how to replace it or make it translate into something different;the past isn't easy to erase. Also, the people doing the rebuilding are all in some way linked to this past. The story perhaps is a little allegorical for some tastes, and this dates the book as Germany and the world has moved on 50 years. Still, its an expertly crafted novel by a Nobel prize winner. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #3,769,800 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #20,373 in War Fiction (Books) #26,259 in Psychological Fiction (Books) #84,838 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 89 Reviews | ## Images ![Billiards at Half-Past Nine (The Essential Heinrich Boll) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61fjcgi17VL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The price structure of survival *by C***G on February 4, 2011* There is a good reason Heinrich Böll won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972), and Billiards at Half-Past Nine contributes mightily to that reason. In fewer than 300 pages, the novel delivers a searing look at life for middle class Germans as their country went through two punishing World Wars and recovered itself in the wake of Hitler. The plotline is like a thin aluminum railing that runs around and through panels of its characters' internal narratives, taking place across a single day (6 September 1958) during which the extended Faehmel family comes together for a public celebration. From the first sentence, it is known that forty-something architect Robert Faehmel insists on one thing of the few who know him, that from 9:30 - 11 a.m., his whereabouts never be disclosed except, if need be, to his father, his son, his daughter and a person named Schrella. That would be the time he spends shooting billiards alone at a local hotel, except for the company of a bellhop. You wonder, why aren't his wife and mother on the short list? Who is Schrella? Through the narratives that hop from character to character, arcing across the first half of the 20th century, Böll reveals what happened to ordinary people under the crucible of Fascism; some would embrace it and die fighting; some would survive as government panderers no matter what the leadership; some would be forced to compromise their ideals; some would stick to them but at costs; some would fight it; innocents would be killed, collateral damage. The youngest generation would not emerge undamaged, either. The actions and choices of individuals impact each other and the future much as the billiard balls strike off one another. What makes this so very readable are the fully realized Faehmels, a flesh and blood clan rendered with sympathy. However tragic, it is also life affirming. Notes on this edition: Jessa Crispin's afterword considers how the German cultural reverence of motherhood fared in these years and its import for the characters. I don't speak or read German, but the translation seems quite authentic and lucid. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ War Wounds *by A***L on January 12, 2009* 1958, and Germany undergoes political, social and economic reformation.Robert Faehmel looks back over the period of two world wars enabling Boll to explore themes of identity and what fashions identity.German culture led to aggressive militiarism-how to replace it or make it translate into something different;the past isn't easy to erase. Also, the people doing the rebuilding are all in some way linked to this past. The story perhaps is a little allegorical for some tastes, and this dates the book as Germany and the world has moved on 50 years. Still, its an expertly crafted novel by a Nobel prize winner. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Difficult to follow - but worth the effort *by J***. on October 5, 2015* Interesting character development. Different chapters tell related stories from different character's POV. A member of our book club created a Excel spreadsheet to keep track of who was who and how they were related --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/24847274-billiards-at-half-past-nine-the-essential-heinrich-boll](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/24847274-billiards-at-half-past-nine-the-essential-heinrich-boll) --- *Product available on Desertcart Argentina* *Store origin: AR* *Last updated: 2026-10-09*