The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (Penguin Books for English: Composition) [Paperback]

Heinrich Boll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009 | Series: Penguin Books for English: Composition

Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll's powerful novel about a woman terrorized by the media

In an era in which journalists will stop at nothing to break a story, Henrich Böll's The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum has taken on heightened relevance. A young woman's association with a hunted man makes her the target of a journalist determined to grab headlines by portraying her as an evil woman. As the attacks on her escalate and she becomes the victim of anonymous threats, Katharina sees only one way out of her nightmare. Turning the mystery genre on its head, the novel begins with the confession of a crime, drawing the reader into a web of sensationalism, character assassination, and the unavoidable eruption of violence.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Heinrich Böll (1917-1985) was one of Germany's most prolific and important postwar writers. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972.

Leila Vennewitz has translated several books by Heinrich Böll, including The Clown and Group Portrait with Lady.

Kurt Andersen is the author of the award-winning, bestselling novels Heyday and Turn of the Century, as well as an essayist, cultural critic, and public radio host. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 1 edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014310540X
• ISBN-13: 978-0143105404
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "unbiased" newspeople are bloodthirsty, June 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum : Or How Violence Develops and Where It Can Lead (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

A minor incident in Katrina Blum's life, turned into news by needy papers, sets in motion a series of destructive events which make the incident a horribly defining one. Boll leads the reader into an evaluation of the so-called "disintrested" and "unbiased" media, who make their living from revealing the darker side of human nature. A good book to read in the aftermath of any media "discovery" or "controversy".

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory reading!, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum : Or How Violence Develops and Where It Can Lead (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to admit, I saw the film before reading the book, and I recommend them both. In today's climate in America, - when the police profession is considered one of the noblest by liberals and conservatives alike, and the so-called "liberal" press, which crossed the line into tabloid journalism awhile ago, and which still hides behind the myth/lie of "objectivity," - this book is as timely and relevant today as it ever was, and should be mandatory viewing/reading.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A harsh and yet enlightening glance into the FRG society., June 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum : Or How Violence Develops and Where It Can Lead (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel characterizes Boll's disdain for the development of an unscrupulous, powerful press who let nothing stand in the way of their 'scoop', people, truth ...... and who are accountable to no one. It also identifies some of the key issues of the time with which many people were preoccupied, for example, anti-communist feelings amongst West Germans as a result of the cold war. It is entertaining if not a little heavy to read.