1966, Heinrich Böll, Ende einer Dienstfahrt, First Edition, Nobel Laureate

Heinrich Theodor Böll (1917 – 1985) was a German writer. Considered one of Germany’s foremost post-World War II writers, Böll is a recipient of the Georg Büchner Prize (1967) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972).

About the book: Johann and Georg Gruhl, father and son, are furniture carpenters. Johann Gruhl has accumulated considerable tax debts; his situation worsens when his son is drafted into the Bundeswehr. At the end of his service, Georg Gruhl is ordered to generate the mileage required for routine inspections by driving aimlessly in a DKW MUNGA off-road vehicle, but instead he drives home. Together, father and son Gruhl prepare the car and burn it on the street while singing litanies.