The Mad Dog: Stories

by Heinrich Böll, Breon Mitchell (Introduction)

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

In this collection of stories, written between 1938 and 1945, Heinrich Böll (1917-1985) recalls Erich Maria Remarque in his ability to depict war and its psychological aftermath.

As in T he Clown or Billiards at Half-Past Nine , the stories in The Mad Dog demonstrate Böll's early and continuing commitment to certain basic the religious impulse toward meaning in the midst of human chaos, the hope love offers to those for whom all else seems lost, and the enduring possibility of an ethical core of action in a maelstrom of personal and political corruption.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Germany, German Literature, War

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Der deutsche Schriftsteller und Übersetzer gilt als einer der bedeutendsten deutschen Autoren der Nachkriegszeit. Er schrieb Gedichte, Kurzgeschichten und Romane, von denen auch einige verfilmt wurden. Dabei setzte er sich kritisch mit der jungen Bundesrepublik auseinander. Zu seinen erfolgreichsten Werken zählen "Billard um halbzehn", "Ansichten eines Clowns" und "Gruppenbild mit Dame". Den Nobelpreis für Literatur bekam Heinrich Böll 1972; er war nach 43 Jahren der erste deutsche Schriftsteller, dem diese Auszeichnung zuteil wurde. 1974 erschien sein wohl populärstes Werk, "Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum". Durch sein politisches Engagement wirkte er, gemeinsam mit seinem Freund Lew Kopelew, auf die europäische Literatur der Nachkriegszeit. Darüber hinaus arbeitete Böll gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Annemarie als Herausgeber und Übersetzer englischsprachiger Werke ins Deutsche...

Heinrich Böll became a full-time writer at the age of 30. His first novel, Der Zug war pünktlich (The Train Was on Time), was published in 1949. Many other novels, short stories, radio plays, and essay collections followed. In 1972 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his writing which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature." He was the first German-born author to receive the Nobel Prize since Hermann Hesse in 1946. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, and he is one of Germany's most widely read authors.

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten short stories from the 1972 Nobel Laureate, which cover an earlier part in his career, with some of his themes from later novels being ever present. All stories ranged from good to very good, and I've scored them individually below.

The Fugitive - 3/4
Youth On Fire - 4/5
Trapped In Paris - 4/5
The Mad dog - 4/5
The Rendezvous - 4/5
The Tribe Of Esau - 3/5
The Tale Of Berkovo Bridge - 4/5
The Dead No Longer Obey - 4/5
America - 3/4
Paradise Lost - 4/5

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not ever read a writer, a person who has a better sense of the other than Heinrich Boll. These stories were gathered and published about 10 years after his death. They were written, however, in 1938 and between 1946 and 1952. All of them matter. All but the first two are masterfully written. The first two are simply works by a young, inexperienced writer. That is their only drawback. Boll, writing about humans in war and postwar, humans surrounded by odious ideologies is a writer I read and reread, and recommend to you.

[Nouvel Diamant]

Ich fand diese Sammlung von zu Lebzeiten Bölls jeweils erfolgslos zur Veröffentlichung angebotenen Erzählungen, Kurzgeschichten und Prosaskizzen nicht so interessant

[Christian Engler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ten short stories contained in Heinrich Boll's The Mad Dog offer a sweeping glimpse into the aftereffects of those traumatized by the bloody carnages and mental wounds of war, in this specific case, World War II. Each story evokes an aura of bleakness and despair yet crossed with hope and a trounced upon faith. All the stories are written from a pre or postwar standpont, each exploring the element of postwar poverty, the ruining of human love and the dark side of human nature, which abounds when people are pushed to the limit. Two of the more emotive tales in this collection are "The Fugitive" and "The Tale of Berkovo Bridge". The former tells the story of a runaway soldier, desperate to flee the dark war torn atrocities of his environment, how he takes refuge in a rectory with a priest who just listens before the soldier's inevitable destiny manifests. The latter tale showcases the ingenuity, creativity, helpfulness and determination naturally imbued in man via the construction of the Berkovo Bridge. Though it is a simple story, it is one that shows the best of man. Conversely, the bridge, upon completion, is immediately destroyed by the idiocy of war. Boll's subtle use of symbolism and metaphores in expressly showcasing the black, animalistic impulses inborn in all of us is certainly not lost, for it is tragedy heaped upon tragedy just for the limited clasping of power that was never ours to begin with. All the stories in The Mad Dog are weighty, made so by the gut-wrenching acts that are forced to be performed in the name of survival and politics; they go against the conscienceness of desire. Thus, each story, with its own unique, horrific absurdity, is a caged tragedy for us to learn from.

[Pedro Monardes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heinrich Böll fue galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura en 1972. Nunca lo había leído hasta ahora en esta colección de 10 cuentos escritos, uno en 1937 y los demás entre 1946 y 1952 sobre la guerra y publicados póstumamente.

No todos son cuentos "de la guerra" sino que fueron escritos en esa época y si bien algunos abordan las batallas directamente, otros solo tocan tangencialmente la guerra. Los relatos en realidad se enfocan en los seres humanos, en sus pulsiones y sentimientos; en eso yo diría que están muy bien escritos; las descripciones, por ejemplo, tanto de los entornos físicos como aquellas descripciones subjetivas, comparaciones, etc., se notan que han sido escritas con gran oficio; lo mismo ocurre con la descripción de los personajes, a veces con muy pocas palabras, pero con ello, el autor logra traspasar su interioridad y sus sentimientos. Eso me gustó, sin embargo, los argumentos no me parecieron muy extraordinarios, o al menos, los recibí de manera dispar: hay algunos que me gustaron como The tale of Berkovo Bridge o The mad dog y otros que no recordaré por mucho tiempo.


Observaciones:

Página 29

"I longed to see her, for I was sad, even through I had signed a relatively advantageous contract."

> even though

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heinrich Böll. Ever subtle and ironic. This is a collection of earlier stories that aren’t as sophisticated as his later work, but still worth the read!

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In meinen Augen leider die schwächste Sammlung von Böll, obwohl ich nahezu alle liebe. Wenn, dann würde ich die Erzählungen aus dem Band empfehlen – die wenigen Kurzgeschichten erreichen für mich nicht den Status einer guten Geschichte, weil die Enden die vorher aufgebaute Wirkung des Textes (leider nicht ganz gelungen) durchbrechen und somit schmälern oder verhindern.

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Blasse Hund is a posthumous collection of ten previously unpublished stories (Kurzgeschichte, Erzählungen, a "Prosa-skittzen" and a chapter of an unfinished book); one is a very early religious story from before the war (1937) and the other nine date from between 1946 and 1952. These were quite uneven; a few were very good and one wonders why they were not published, but some were not that interesting or well-written.

[Paul Roper]

It was wonderful. Everything I have missed since Herr Böll passed away in 1985. I love his style and structure, they are like conversations with an old friend. Now to finish Silent Angel.

RIP Herr Böll, your work will live on, thanks.

[Kallirroi Ioannou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μικρά και μεγαλύτερα διηγήματα του Χ. Μπέλλ μας μεταφέρουν στο σκοτεινό και μισογκρεμισμένο τοπίο της χιτλερικής Γερμανίας και της Γερμανίας της ήττας του ΒΠΠ. Τρομερό ψυχογραφημα, τρομερή η αίσθηση της φρίκης, πολύ ενδιαφέροντα διηγήματα, εξαίρετη γραφή

[Dante Caruso · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection of short stories, Boll vividly paints scenes that are configured by the realities of wartime, while holding the delicacies of existence up to a golden light. The insanity of war is expertly leveled by someone who clearly suffered from such hellish conditions.

[Arf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Racconti giovanili, rinunciabili

[Yue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dead no longer obey

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mad Dog in english - the translation is available. Boll is one of my favorite German writers.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know he can write. Beautifully. But I wasn't expecting Christ.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Heinrich Boll read, so I need more to give an opinion. The writing was good, but somehow the stories didn't really strike me. I wasn't very involved.