The Clown
Heinrich Böll · 1917–1985 · Germany
Originally Ansichten eines Clowns (German)
Why it matters
A professional clown, abandoned by his lover and estranged from his wealthy Catholic family, narrates his own collapse from a Bonn apartment. Böll's bitter satire of West German postwar hypocrisy and comfortable amnesia.
At a glance
satirepsychological novel
Difficulty 5/10medium pace248 pagesA single long confessional monologue alternating memory and present-tense despair.
Where to go next
Heinrich Böll · 1955The Bread of Those Early YearsLvl 3Medium pace
Heinrich Böll · 1959Billiards at Half-Past NineLvl 7Slow burn
Heinrich Böll · 1971Group Portrait with LadyLvl 6Slow burn
Heinrich Böll · 1974The Lost Honour of Katharina BlumLvl 4Fast paced
Günter Grass · 1959The Tin DrumLvl 8Medium pace
Bernhard Schlink · 1995The ReaderLvl 3Medium pace