The Clown
by
Heinrich Böll
Read March 2007
Copy borrowed from Ramsey County Public Library, Roseville branch
Essay written June 22nd, 2007
I got lost pretty quickly in this book. So many characters, so many alliances. I couldn't keep track of who was a Protestant, who was a Catholic, who was a Nazi sympathizer, who was not, and so on. Maybe that was the point too, was that in post-war Germany it got complicated to figure out who stood where, and who was responsible, and all that. I admit I'm not all that familiar with the context.
And, like everyone, I hate clowns. Nevertheless, he wasn't one of those happy American clowns with big feet and stupid colorful clothes and all that retarded garb. He was more like a performer dressed up as a harlequin, or something. Not quite a mime either. I don't know, again, I confess my ignorance in these matters. Point is, he was a good clown, not a bad clown, and this book isn't really so much about his clowning at all as much as it was about his life. If anything, it reminded me of Hunger by Knut Hamsun, which is a good thing. Although it occurs to me now that Knut Hamsun was a Nazi sympathizer, so never mind.
I think this book was on the same shelf at the Roseville library as the Kyril Bonfiglioli book I read right before this. I like it when you find a sweet spot at the library when you find a lot of good stuff clustered together. Once, about ten years ago, I had a great hat trick in the E section of the White Bear Lake library. I found Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, and Mephisto In Onyx by Harlan Ellison all in the same trip. I remember it was 1997 because I had just recently bought Starflyer 59's "Americana" album. Those books and that album are intertwined in my life. Maybe The Clown and Don't Point That Thing At Me will be intertwined from now on as well.
back to books
|