Twentieth Century Texts Ansichten Eines Clowns, (Paperback)

from AramisSciant

The first time I read this book I was in high school and focused on the social satire of post-war Germany and in particular the hypocrisy of religion and politics. This time around, with the perspective of many many years, what caught me was more the question of love vs. religion and social mores...

from foomy

superb description of a clown - popular in his professional, but useless in his private life, caught between pleasing the public and being bitter and unloving towards his mother; recalls every bit of his moments of fame in his own peculiar way.

from LynnB

Wow! This story is told by a professional clown whose lover has left him; he is out of work and suffering from a depression. Through his conversations with friends and family, we get to know him and at the same time, to explore religion, war, love, families. While the story never says so, the Clo...

from Eamonn12

Just my kind of book. Sad, witty, caustic, disgruntled... but scarifyingly honest. First and foremost it is a book delving into the character and characteristics of Hans Schnier, a professional clown, absolutely flat broke and confined to his apartment by (among other things) a knee injury From h...

from jdpwash

First edition 1967, so it may look dated but the sarcastic humor and vivid description of the Zeitgeist of the late sixties is splendid. Böll's scalpel mercilessly dissects the postwar German bourgeoisie class, seen through the eyes of the scion of a lignite dynasty turned clown. The book caused ...