More than thirty years after a fateful encounter with Heinrich Böll, Christian Linder explores in this exciting biography the question of what kind of person lay behind the most famous German author: born in Cologne in 1917, a soldier in the Wehrmacht, a prisoner of war, a celebrated author of Group 47, president of PEN, Nobel laureate in literature, politically engaged, and deceased in 1985 - these are just the key dates of a career that, in terms of literary significance, is ultimately incomprehensible. What motives underlie this life and work, which Böll himself considered a failure at the end of his life? What beliefs and pains? What hatred drove him, what faith? Linder reveals the man Heinrich Böll, who has so far remained hidden behind his influence, and brings astonishing insights to light. A book not only about a writer but also about the complexities of his existence.