Heinrich Böll books in order
German writer
- Lived
- 1917–1985
- Country
- Germany
- Books
- 26
Heinrich Böll published 18 novels, 5 novellas and 3 short story collections, beginning with Billiards at Half-past Nine (1959). The best-known is The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (1974).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Heinrich Böll
Start here
The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
Heinrich Böll's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
And Where Were You, Adam? (1951)
And Never Said a Word (1953)
House Without Guardians (1954)
The Bread of Those Early Years (1955)
Billiards at Half-past Nine (1959)
Anecdote Concerning the Lowering of Productivity (1963)
The Clown (1963)
18 Stories (1966)
End of a Mission (1966)
Heinrich Boll (1966)
Children Are Civilians Too (1970)
Group Portrait with Lady (1971)
Missing Persons and Other Essays (1977)
Where Were You Adam (1978)
The Safety Net (1979)
Women in a River Landscape. a Novel in Dialogues and Soliloquies (1985)
The Silent Angel (1992)
Cross Without Love (2002)
Novellas in order
The Train Was on Time (1949)
Doctor Murkes Total Silence (1955)
The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (1974)
What's to Become of the Boy? (1981)
A Soldier's Legacy (1982)
Short story collections in order
The Casualty (1986)
The Stories of Heinrich Böll (1986)
The Mad Dog (1997)
Film and TV adaptations
- The Bread of Those Early Years (1962)Film · from The Bread of Those Early Years
- Not Reconciled (1965)Film · from Billiards at Half-past Nine
- The Clown (1976)Film · from The Clown
- Group Portrait with Lady (1977)Film · from Group Portrait with Lady
- The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (1975)Film · from The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
About Heinrich Böll
Heinrich Theodor Böll was a German writer. Considered one of Germany's foremost post–World War II writers, Böll received the Georg Büchner Prize (1967) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972).
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Heinrich Böll FAQ
- How many books has Heinrich Böll written?
- Heinrich Böll published 18 novels, 5 novellas and 3 short story collections that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Heinrich Böll's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum.
- What is Heinrich Böll's last book?
- The Stories of Heinrich Böll (1986).
- What is Heinrich Böll's most famous book?
- The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (1974) is Heinrich Böll's most widely read book.
- Which Heinrich Böll books have been adapted?
- 5 books have been adapted for film or TV, including The Bread of Those Early Years (film, 1962), Billiards at Half-past Nine (as Not Reconciled, film, 1965), The Clown (film, 1976) and Group Portrait with Lady (film, 1977).
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.