Heinrich Böll's 100th Birthday

On December 21, 2017, the writer Heinrich Böll would have turned 100. In the Federal Republic, Böll, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972, was tremendously present and well-known. His criticism of media hectoring, his commitment to peace and his solidarity with the weaker made him, the writer, a kind of moral authority. Whoever wants to get to know him anew today - 33 years after his death - discovers a personality with amazingly modern, timelessly topical sides, with themes and concerns that today, far more than 30 years after his death, have a completely new meaning again: Anti-fascism, pacifism, the fight against media agitation, personal freedom, solidarity and comprehensive humanity. In Tina Srowig's documentary, Böll's son René, his publisher Reinhold Neven DuMont and friends and companions recall important stages, great successes, turbulent conflicts and very human, moving and amusing moments in the writer's life.

Production Companies

WDR