Heinrich Böll, born in Cologne in 1917, became an apprentice in the book trade and a student of German studies after graduating from high school in 1937. With the outbreak of war, he was drafted into the Wehrmacht and served as a soldier for six years. Since 1947, he published short stories, novels, radio and television plays, theater pieces, and numerous essays. Together with his wife Annemarie, he also worked as a translator of English-language literature. Heinrich Böll was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. He passed away in July 1985 in Langenbroich/Eifel.