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The Safety Net
Although Fritz Tolm and his wife Käthe play a representative role in established society, their sympathies are often on the side of their children and their friends. The Tolm family, for example, abandons the most difficult problem to the enormously bloated police apparatus, depending on whether the individuals are more likely to belong to the suspects or the vulnerable or even to both categories. This increases compulsively, as the signs pile up, threatening a new stop. But Fritz Tolm achieves a new clarity.
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
16 people are currently reading
1309 people want to read
About the author
Heinrich Böll
638 books1,645 followersDer deutsche Schriftsteller und Übersetzer gilt als einer der bedeutendsten deutschen Autoren der Nachkriegszeit. Er schrieb Gedichte, Kurzgeschichten und Romane, von denen auch einige verfilmt wurden. Dabei setzte er sich kritisch mit der jungen Bundesrepublik auseinander. Zu seinen erfolgreichsten Werken zählen "Billard um halbzehn", "Ansichten eines Clowns" und "Gruppenbild mit Dame". Den Nobelpreis für Literatur bekam Heinrich Böll 1972; er war nach 43 Jahren der erste deutsche Schriftsteller, dem diese Auszeichnung zuteil wurde. 1974 erschien sein wohl populärstes Werk, "Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum". Durch sein politisches Engagement wirkte er, gemeinsam mit seinem Freund Lew Kopelew, auf die europäische Literatur der Nachkriegszeit. Darüber hinaus arbeitete Böll gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Annemarie als Herausgeber und Übersetzer englischsprachiger Werke ins Deutsche...
Heinrich Böll became a full-time writer at the age of 30. His first novel, Der Zug war pünktlich (The Train Was on Time), was published in 1949. Many other novels, short stories, radio plays, and essay collections followed. In 1972 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his writing which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature." He was the first German-born author to receive the Nobel Prize since Hermann Hesse in 1946. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, and he is one of Germany's most widely read authors.
Heinrich Böll became a full-time writer at the age of 30. His first novel, Der Zug war pünktlich (The Train Was on Time), was published in 1949. Many other novels, short stories, radio plays, and essay collections followed. In 1972 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his writing which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature." He was the first German-born author to receive the Nobel Prize since Hermann Hesse in 1946. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, and he is one of Germany's most widely read authors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 13, 2020
Better safe than sorry. Is that really true?
The Safety Net is a novel about people caught between security surveillance and longing for freedom. There is no plot, no definitive external drama, no hero, no beginning and no end.
It is a novel about people in the modern world. It could be anywhere, anytime where old traditions and experiences clash with modern technologies and political visions. It happens to be a dystopian Germany in the 1970s, but that is not important. Just a random setting for universal issues. It is a novel about people coping with society and family patterns, and how their need for privacy clashes with their need for fame and recognition. And safety.
It is a masterpiece.
From the very first sentence, Böll has high expectations. He demands full concentration of his reader, and throws him or her straight in medias res. The sheer amount of characters that are mentioned en passant is overwhelming. Only gradually, slowly, the patient reader will be able to fill the knowledge gaps to the point where family relations, political alliances and oppositions are made clear.
We are peeling the onion together, Böll and his readership. What we discover, together, is a multifaceted reality, where safety and security are ambiguous terms, both protecting and imprisoning human beings. We learn together, slowly, step by step, one snaking sentence at a time, that families constitute a certain kind of safety net as well, but also a threat. A brother who turns into a political dissident is a liability, to say the least. But he can also be a last refuge in times of trouble.
Authorities and organisations offer financial and spiritual security. Or maybe not? Going to confession is a relief, an act of expiating sins. The priest a lifeline, a safety net. Or a harmful influence on impressionable youth. Both in one person, one symbol.
Sexuality is a demonstration of public power and at the same time an act of defying the system, rebelling against the supervision and surveillance. An act of passion in an environment of fear, mirroring The Passion in the definition of Jeanette Winterson: “Between fear and sex is passion.”
Waiting for terror to strike, all people in Böll’s scary novel live in a state of suspension. They are waiting, preparing, creating safety nets they do not believe in. For terror does not strike where you expect it. That is the very essence of terror. Planning everything, organising perfect security, the terror moves from the outside to the inside, and resides in the hearts of the people. They go on living, confessing, falling in and out of love, having children, building and destroying careers. With terror tainting every moment of every minute of every day.
Only catastrophe can release them from the terrifying waiting game. But it does not come…
Instead, erosion...
Böll at his best. Absolutely necessary read!
The Safety Net is a novel about people caught between security surveillance and longing for freedom. There is no plot, no definitive external drama, no hero, no beginning and no end.
It is a novel about people in the modern world. It could be anywhere, anytime where old traditions and experiences clash with modern technologies and political visions. It happens to be a dystopian Germany in the 1970s, but that is not important. Just a random setting for universal issues. It is a novel about people coping with society and family patterns, and how their need for privacy clashes with their need for fame and recognition. And safety.
It is a masterpiece.
From the very first sentence, Böll has high expectations. He demands full concentration of his reader, and throws him or her straight in medias res. The sheer amount of characters that are mentioned en passant is overwhelming. Only gradually, slowly, the patient reader will be able to fill the knowledge gaps to the point where family relations, political alliances and oppositions are made clear.
We are peeling the onion together, Böll and his readership. What we discover, together, is a multifaceted reality, where safety and security are ambiguous terms, both protecting and imprisoning human beings. We learn together, slowly, step by step, one snaking sentence at a time, that families constitute a certain kind of safety net as well, but also a threat. A brother who turns into a political dissident is a liability, to say the least. But he can also be a last refuge in times of trouble.
Authorities and organisations offer financial and spiritual security. Or maybe not? Going to confession is a relief, an act of expiating sins. The priest a lifeline, a safety net. Or a harmful influence on impressionable youth. Both in one person, one symbol.
Sexuality is a demonstration of public power and at the same time an act of defying the system, rebelling against the supervision and surveillance. An act of passion in an environment of fear, mirroring The Passion in the definition of Jeanette Winterson: “Between fear and sex is passion.”
Waiting for terror to strike, all people in Böll’s scary novel live in a state of suspension. They are waiting, preparing, creating safety nets they do not believe in. For terror does not strike where you expect it. That is the very essence of terror. Planning everything, organising perfect security, the terror moves from the outside to the inside, and resides in the hearts of the people. They go on living, confessing, falling in and out of love, having children, building and destroying careers. With terror tainting every moment of every minute of every day.
Only catastrophe can release them from the terrifying waiting game. But it does not come…
Instead, erosion...
Böll at his best. Absolutely necessary read!
March 29, 2024
مجموعه داستان خوبی بود از هاینریش بل
April 19, 2020
"Chaos on all sides, disintegration behind carefully roughed, stylish facades."
This is a dense and complex work that will likely not appeal to readers who like their stories/narratives straightforward, uncluttered, and single-voiced. Let me phrase this a different way: There is a glossary of characters and their intertwining relationships at the beginning of the novel; you will refer to it frequently. But you'll get used to Böll's thick style quick if you be patient. Yes, the novel is one about many characters whose lives you are thrown into without warning, but the basic theme is simple: the woes or lack thereof of security, external and internal. The plot, as it is, and there isn't much of it, centers around an aging magnate, recently elevated to a vague political position and the shells within shells of security that he and his extended family are subject to. They're under constant threat from an equally vague "socialist" or even "communist" leftist group which includes and included some family members. There is an ongoing dread underlying this novel, the uncertainty of safety, the inability to trust even members of one's own family, or anything in the world (exploding cakes and remote-controlled robot birds are some of the peaks of the security team's hysteria), and at the same time security is sought in other forms, love, for one, even illicit, and there are some quiet if sullen moving moments where characters weary of security without seek it somehow within.
A novel of doubt and fear in the face of an absurd, crushing world. As one character says at one point, "The best we can do is acknowledge the fact that we are prisoners--that we'll perish in security, perhaps from security."
This is a dense and complex work that will likely not appeal to readers who like their stories/narratives straightforward, uncluttered, and single-voiced. Let me phrase this a different way: There is a glossary of characters and their intertwining relationships at the beginning of the novel; you will refer to it frequently. But you'll get used to Böll's thick style quick if you be patient. Yes, the novel is one about many characters whose lives you are thrown into without warning, but the basic theme is simple: the woes or lack thereof of security, external and internal. The plot, as it is, and there isn't much of it, centers around an aging magnate, recently elevated to a vague political position and the shells within shells of security that he and his extended family are subject to. They're under constant threat from an equally vague "socialist" or even "communist" leftist group which includes and included some family members. There is an ongoing dread underlying this novel, the uncertainty of safety, the inability to trust even members of one's own family, or anything in the world (exploding cakes and remote-controlled robot birds are some of the peaks of the security team's hysteria), and at the same time security is sought in other forms, love, for one, even illicit, and there are some quiet if sullen moving moments where characters weary of security without seek it somehow within.
A novel of doubt and fear in the face of an absurd, crushing world. As one character says at one point, "The best we can do is acknowledge the fact that we are prisoners--that we'll perish in security, perhaps from security."
January 15, 2012
Finished today. An engrossing novel that I'd like to reread. Unfortunately I had to interrupt my reading to read another book for my book club. So much has surprised me, and I know my reading has not been the best. It is a challenging book, and I had to refer many times to the (incomplete) list of characters at the beginning, as well as to Wikipedia for background/historical information. The beginning is slow, with long chapters; the ending is quick, with very short chapters. In between is a lot of background story--so I was surprised at the end to learn that only three days have elapsed. Each chapter uses the point of view of a different character, without identifying the character, using only the pronouns he or she--the reader has to fill in the blanks.
March 1, 2017
Wollte mir Bölls Reaktion auf die Schleyer-Entführung als Beitrag zur Mentalitätsgeschichte der Siebziger reinziehen. Glatte Zeitverschwendung, Böll driftete schon seit Billard um Halb Zehn mehr und mehr in sein Paralleluniversum ab, wobei sein Stil noch schlechter und seine Figuren immer grotesker wurden. Beim Repetieren seiner Klischees ist er schon hier auf Karl-May und Arno-Schmidt-Niveau angekommen. Anscheinend ist mir jenseits der 50 der Sinn für derartige Schnurrpfeifereien endgültig abhanden gekommen. Schlichtweg ungenießbar, selbst wenn es noch schlechter geht, wie Frauen vor Flusslandschaft gnadenlos vorführt.
December 19, 2017
First published in 1979, The Safety Net addresses the concept of security versus privacy, namely the individual disclosure of privacy in the name of public security, as causing as much harm (via isolation, social stratification, scrutiny, rumours etc) as it is supposedly supposed to prevent. This is an idea that has become a reality for many of us in the post-9/11 world, yet was quite ahead of its time when Boll put pen to paper.
I enjoyed how Boll explored this theme, and the scenarios that he used to test it. I also found that the cast of characters were well-formed, varied and sympathetic. Best of all, I liked some of the small details within the story of how German society was restructured and how Germans began to recover their national identity after the world wars. That identity at the time was also undergoing a debate between socialism vs capitalism, which is reflected in the novel.
Although this was a minor feature of the story, post-war Germany from a German is a perspective that I have never come across before, and I am interested in reading more about. It should be mentioned that The Safety Net is not a strict account of the political scene in Germany however, as the story mentioned "The Association" as a political power that is clearly not from the real world.
I have a forest of post-its inserted noting passages of interest on several diverse themes, which I will cull and simplify here. The topics of most interest to me were the examination of security vs. privacy, the concept of redemption granted via public approval, and the way that Sabine, a wealthy and attractive woman, was described and thought of vs. her actions.
Security vs. privacy: The Tolm family is put under heavy surveillance when Tolm Senior is elected as President of the Association. As a result, all of their actions are monitored and recorded, their friends, family and neighbours spied on, and their interactions and autonomy severely limited. The family members become paranoid, distrustful, cabin-fever-crazy and rebellious, undertaking risks and actions that perhaps they might not have sought out if they had not been put "under protection." The idea that a hyper-vigilance causes a backlash in rebellion, and that this is not isolated to hormonal teenagers, was an interesting one. Overall, this theme was very well done.
The concept of socially granted redemption (or for that matter, damnation) is played out via a number of avenues, but finds its main medium through the oldest Tolm son, Rolf. Rolf and his friends were protesters in their youth and spent time in jail for their violent behaviour. There is a disturbing association in the book between "protester" and "violent person" that suggests that they are one and the same, or at least are considered so by the characters in the story. Rolf spends the majority of his adult life attempting to lead a quiet and law-abiding life despite the constant distrust and suspicion that is cast his way, and the rejection that his friends face when trying to find employment. He argues that keeping dissenting voices from participating in society will only further disenfranchise them, and that dissenting voices aren't inherently dangerous (it could be well argued that they're vital to a functional democracy) - people only become truly dangerous when they are cast out of society and their voice is removed. This aspect of the book was thought-provoking, though I admit to being a bit lost when they mentioned anything about the socialist movement in detail.
Sabine Fischer nee Tolm is the blonde and blue-eyed daughter of the President of the Association, and is considered a prominent, wealthy, and desirable woman. She is also described as a model wife, is bashful about sexuality, and generally fulfills the "good girl = passive" trope... that is, until she becomes pregnant by someone other than her husband. Her attraction to her beau is framed as largely an intellectual one - she is attracted to his quiet and serious manner - and any physical or raw animal attraction is muted and played down, because good girls don't have lusty sex drives.
Even when the information of her illicit pregnancy begins to circulate, her mild and passive manner, along with her wealth, is held up as evidence for her virtue. Men also make comments alluding to their desire for her due to her perceived passivity and directly say that they wish to control her in certain ways. They reward her with attributes of virtue and a pleasing "childlike manner" when she obeys them, such as the chief security officer does when Sabine agrees to tell him all of her plans in advance.
In direct contrast, one of her neighbours, Erna, who married well but does not come from money herself, is dark-haired, outspoken and frank about sex and her desires, and is treated as a pariah by the community when a sexual indiscretion becomes public knowledge. The way that the public reacts with scorn to Erna's sexual behaviours is also compared against the general attitude of disinterest toward her husband's equally eyebrow raising leanings (it is suggested that he is a willing cuckhold), and her lover's actions. Similarly, any sexual misconduct by the policemen, or disgusting attitudes toward the women that they are caring for, are forgiven and excused as natural and acceptable male reactions. (But of course the women should know better than to [insert sexual situation here].) Even male strangers were acting badly towards Erna, propositioning her for a "swinging time," and harassing her as she used a phone booth by suggesting that she was a call girl. It is not a stretch, based on these precursory attitudes toward her, that if she were to appease these men by performing sexual acts with them, thereby giving them what they wanted from her, that they would ridicule her.
That's like sending Santa Claus a dozen letters begging for toys, threatening him with repercussions if he doesn't deliver, and then calling him an asshole because he gave you the choo choo train you always wanted.
The comparison between Sabine and Erna and between Erna and the men around her is well done and purposefully maddening. I got the impression that Boll finds these situations as ridiculous as I do.
Some favourite passages are below:
I had a difficult time giving this story higher than three stars because the book was very slow in its pace and the ending felt anti-climatic. Dialogue could also get bogged down, and there was a lot of background material for secondary and third characters that could have been pared down.
I recommend this for people who are interested in privacy issues, national security, terrorism, postwar Germany, social commentaries, political philosophy and societal attitudes toward male and female sexuality.
I enjoyed how Boll explored this theme, and the scenarios that he used to test it. I also found that the cast of characters were well-formed, varied and sympathetic. Best of all, I liked some of the small details within the story of how German society was restructured and how Germans began to recover their national identity after the world wars. That identity at the time was also undergoing a debate between socialism vs capitalism, which is reflected in the novel.
Although this was a minor feature of the story, post-war Germany from a German is a perspective that I have never come across before, and I am interested in reading more about. It should be mentioned that The Safety Net is not a strict account of the political scene in Germany however, as the story mentioned "The Association" as a political power that is clearly not from the real world.
I have a forest of post-its inserted noting passages of interest on several diverse themes, which I will cull and simplify here. The topics of most interest to me were the examination of security vs. privacy, the concept of redemption granted via public approval, and the way that Sabine, a wealthy and attractive woman, was described and thought of vs. her actions.
Security vs. privacy: The Tolm family is put under heavy surveillance when Tolm Senior is elected as President of the Association. As a result, all of their actions are monitored and recorded, their friends, family and neighbours spied on, and their interactions and autonomy severely limited. The family members become paranoid, distrustful, cabin-fever-crazy and rebellious, undertaking risks and actions that perhaps they might not have sought out if they had not been put "under protection." The idea that a hyper-vigilance causes a backlash in rebellion, and that this is not isolated to hormonal teenagers, was an interesting one. Overall, this theme was very well done.
The concept of socially granted redemption (or for that matter, damnation) is played out via a number of avenues, but finds its main medium through the oldest Tolm son, Rolf. Rolf and his friends were protesters in their youth and spent time in jail for their violent behaviour. There is a disturbing association in the book between "protester" and "violent person" that suggests that they are one and the same, or at least are considered so by the characters in the story. Rolf spends the majority of his adult life attempting to lead a quiet and law-abiding life despite the constant distrust and suspicion that is cast his way, and the rejection that his friends face when trying to find employment. He argues that keeping dissenting voices from participating in society will only further disenfranchise them, and that dissenting voices aren't inherently dangerous (it could be well argued that they're vital to a functional democracy) - people only become truly dangerous when they are cast out of society and their voice is removed. This aspect of the book was thought-provoking, though I admit to being a bit lost when they mentioned anything about the socialist movement in detail.
Sabine Fischer nee Tolm is the blonde and blue-eyed daughter of the President of the Association, and is considered a prominent, wealthy, and desirable woman. She is also described as a model wife, is bashful about sexuality, and generally fulfills the "good girl = passive" trope... that is, until she becomes pregnant by someone other than her husband. Her attraction to her beau is framed as largely an intellectual one - she is attracted to his quiet and serious manner - and any physical or raw animal attraction is muted and played down, because good girls don't have lusty sex drives.
Even when the information of her illicit pregnancy begins to circulate, her mild and passive manner, along with her wealth, is held up as evidence for her virtue. Men also make comments alluding to their desire for her due to her perceived passivity and directly say that they wish to control her in certain ways. They reward her with attributes of virtue and a pleasing "childlike manner" when she obeys them, such as the chief security officer does when Sabine agrees to tell him all of her plans in advance.
In direct contrast, one of her neighbours, Erna, who married well but does not come from money herself, is dark-haired, outspoken and frank about sex and her desires, and is treated as a pariah by the community when a sexual indiscretion becomes public knowledge. The way that the public reacts with scorn to Erna's sexual behaviours is also compared against the general attitude of disinterest toward her husband's equally eyebrow raising leanings (it is suggested that he is a willing cuckhold), and her lover's actions. Similarly, any sexual misconduct by the policemen, or disgusting attitudes toward the women that they are caring for, are forgiven and excused as natural and acceptable male reactions. (But of course the women should know better than to [insert sexual situation here].) Even male strangers were acting badly towards Erna, propositioning her for a "swinging time," and harassing her as she used a phone booth by suggesting that she was a call girl. It is not a stretch, based on these precursory attitudes toward her, that if she were to appease these men by performing sexual acts with them, thereby giving them what they wanted from her, that they would ridicule her.
That's like sending Santa Claus a dozen letters begging for toys, threatening him with repercussions if he doesn't deliver, and then calling him an asshole because he gave you the choo choo train you always wanted.
The comparison between Sabine and Erna and between Erna and the men around her is well done and purposefully maddening. I got the impression that Boll finds these situations as ridiculous as I do.
Some favourite passages are below:
I had a difficult time giving this story higher than three stars because the book was very slow in its pace and the ending felt anti-climatic. Dialogue could also get bogged down, and there was a lot of background material for secondary and third characters that could have been pared down.
I recommend this for people who are interested in privacy issues, national security, terrorism, postwar Germany, social commentaries, political philosophy and societal attitudes toward male and female sexuality.
September 3, 2016
Not the easiest book to get into, with frequent consultations to the (thankfully) included 'Cast of Characters' list - at least at the beginning. Oddly enough, I found the individual characters' personal backstories much more interesting than the whole plot of 'security risk/assassination threat'. A second read-through might increase my appreciation of the book (no garantees there, though), however I don't see that happening for at least a while.
Oh, and I might as well throw in a spoiler gratis! to anyone debating whether or not they should read this book & see 'what happens':
Oh, and I might as well throw in a spoiler gratis! to anyone debating whether or not they should read this book & see 'what happens':
January 22, 2023
An intriguing, original, dense, serious, character based novel about three days in the life of the large, complex, Tolm family. The novel is cluttered with characters. Fritz Tolm and his wife, Kathe, have three adult children, Sabine, Herbert and Rolf. Sabine is leaving her wayward husband. She is pregnant and the baby is not her husband’s. Their son Herbert is one of the alternate society. Rolf is a former political activist. Fritz Tolm is president of an Association and a newspaper owner. Around the Tolm family property are a number of security officers due to a security risk / assassination threat. One of the officers is Sabine’s lover.
A book filled with interesting individual character’s back stories.
This book was first published in German in 1979.
A book filled with interesting individual character’s back stories.
This book was first published in German in 1979.
April 21, 2020
Ha egy szöveg (értek ez alatt könyvet) minőségét azzal akarnám jellemezni, hogy milyen gyorsan haladtam az olvasással, akkor most a negatív jelzők tömkelegével kellene illetnem a legutóbb olvasott könyvet. Elvégre alig négyszáz oldal több mint két hónap alatt…
https://hajokoffer.blog.hu/2020/04/21...
https://hajokoffer.blog.hu/2020/04/21...
October 26, 2025
Roman om et Tyskland hvor alle overvåges og ingen er frie.
Tankevækkende læsning
Tankevækkende læsning
August 12, 2017
Great 1979 book about security, economics, and why smart young leftists might "drop out" of a parliamentary political system. It's hard going occasionally, due to the large number of characters (there is a chart of names in my edition of the book from Melville House). If you're not a Germanophile, with some knowledge of post-WWII German politics, it may not be the Böll book to start with, but I loved it, and found it quite moving and relevant for today's discussions of the 99%.
April 11, 2021
کتاب بنظرم فوق العاده س
نثر روونه ترجمه هم خوبه
تغییر راوی های داستان نوع روایت رو زیبا کرده
توی این کتاب زاویه های دید به خوب توسط نویسنده پوشش داده شده و این یکی از مهمترین ویژگی های مثبت داستانه
روند داستان غیر قابل پیشبینیه و همین باعث میشه خواننده کنجکاو بمونه تا اخرین صفحه ی داستان که در نهایت چطور مهم ترین اتفاق داستان رقم میخوره
در مورد پایان باید بگم بایانش بهترین پایانیه که من به ذهنم میرسید اگر کسی نظر مخالفی داره خوشحال میشم بشنوم
نثر روونه ترجمه هم خوبه
تغییر راوی های داستان نوع روایت رو زیبا کرده
توی این کتاب زاویه های دید به خوب توسط نویسنده پوشش داده شده و این یکی از مهمترین ویژگی های مثبت داستانه
روند داستان غیر قابل پیشبینیه و همین باعث میشه خواننده کنجکاو بمونه تا اخرین صفحه ی داستان که در نهایت چطور مهم ترین اتفاق داستان رقم میخوره
در مورد پایان باید بگم بایانش بهترین پایانیه که من به ذهنم میرسید اگر کسی نظر مخالفی داره خوشحال میشم بشنوم
March 29, 2014
So glad to have finished this, felt like an almighty slog. This book made me feel stupid (and perhaps I am); I had little grasp of what the hell was going on for the first third of the book and it didn���t get a lot better after that. So many characters, oblique references to size 38 shoes and milk errands and chapters that gave you no idea who was narrating until some way in. Pah.
February 18, 2016
I really loved this book. I have lived in Germany twice in the last eight years and never once did I think about the Baader-Meinhoff gang, which this book is clearly based on. I kept thinking about the Second World War, and not the terrorism of the seventies. I remembered, while reading this book, about my first trip to Europe in 1986 when security at every branch of a bank was still so tight. (I am thinking of Italy, rather than Germany, but it was the same everywhere then). What Boll does so skilfully is describe how these terrorists can be fairly ordinary, nice people, who are loved by their families, while holding beliefs that the only way to improve society is by shocking people into examining the way that their society is organised by committing violent acts. (cf. Al Queda) What would those young terrorists have made of the corporate greed which is so much greater now? or the apathy of the noughties? or the drone strikes which are so much like the rigged birds that Fritz Tolm fears? or the War on Terror? or the reunification of Germany? Really thought provoking in my opinion. It was interesting that it was yet another book where the protagonists are Catholic. I have been thinking, John, about your statement that many religions have angels and demons. You might be right, I can't think of any in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism or even Hinduism, but I am no expert. I think the thing that strikes other people is the guilt that Catholics carry around. which is sometimes interpreted as having been influenced by angels and devils. And there was plenty of guilt here, particularly that of Sabine's lover (whose name escapes me as I furiously type in an airport before my free half hour of internet access expires!) was it Hubert? the three Tolm offspring were examples of three ways of coping with the philosophical dilemmas of the day. I thought that the story was well written, I was keen to read what would happen next, but, I, too, was grateful for the list of characters at the beginning. I am definitely looking to read more of Boll. In my copy of 1001 Books he has three other titles, but not this one!
October 4, 2019
„Körül káosz, bomlás, és ő benne.”
Tolmot, az idős médiavezért elnökké választják. Tolm, az idős médiavezér családjával együtt veszélynek van kitéve – ezért gondviselő ostromzárat von köré a rendőrök és testőrök hada, amin még egy légy sem repülhet át. Vagy mégis. Böll ezt az alaphelyzetet arra használja fel, hogy bemutassa, a túlbiztosított kapitalista társadalom közelről megvizsgálva maga a riasztó instabilitás: profitéhes cégek zabálják fel életterünket és magánéletünket, gyermekkorunk helyszínein külszíni fejtések terpeszkednek, a nyugati életmód ellenfelei pedig már készítik a bombákat, amiket talán a születésnapi tortánkban, talán egy bicikli alvázában fognak elrejteni. (Ne felejtsük: ekkortájt még létezett Nyugat-Németországban a Baader-Meinhof csoport, a szélsőbaloldali terrorszervezet.) Ezt a bizonytalanságot még erősíti is Böll jellegzetes prózastílusa: ahogy elképesztően felépített mondatai kígyóznak az elme mocsaras tájain, úgy kóválygunk mi is szereplőinek ki nem mondott gondolatai, félelmei és piszkos kis titkai között.
Mindazonáltal nem ez Böll legjobb könyve. A Böll-regények általános jellemzője, hogy a látszólag széttartó, kusza prózastílus mögött egy nagyon is feszes intellektuális ív van – itt ezt időnként hiányoltam. Mintha túl sokat rugózna marginális kérdéseken, a probléma valahogy homályosan van kibontva, ami pedig a megoldási alternatívát illeti – talán túl sokat kacsintgat a marxizmus felé. Külön pikantériája a dolognak, hogy ezt alig 10 évvel a keleti blokk felbomlása előtt teszi. Ettől függetlenül persze látszik, hogy egy mesteri író szövegével van dolgunk, csak éppen a mesteri író más szövegei ennél még mesteribbek.
Tolmot, az idős médiavezért elnökké választják. Tolm, az idős médiavezér családjával együtt veszélynek van kitéve – ezért gondviselő ostromzárat von köré a rendőrök és testőrök hada, amin még egy légy sem repülhet át. Vagy mégis. Böll ezt az alaphelyzetet arra használja fel, hogy bemutassa, a túlbiztosított kapitalista társadalom közelről megvizsgálva maga a riasztó instabilitás: profitéhes cégek zabálják fel életterünket és magánéletünket, gyermekkorunk helyszínein külszíni fejtések terpeszkednek, a nyugati életmód ellenfelei pedig már készítik a bombákat, amiket talán a születésnapi tortánkban, talán egy bicikli alvázában fognak elrejteni. (Ne felejtsük: ekkortájt még létezett Nyugat-Németországban a Baader-Meinhof csoport, a szélsőbaloldali terrorszervezet.) Ezt a bizonytalanságot még erősíti is Böll jellegzetes prózastílusa: ahogy elképesztően felépített mondatai kígyóznak az elme mocsaras tájain, úgy kóválygunk mi is szereplőinek ki nem mondott gondolatai, félelmei és piszkos kis titkai között.
Mindazonáltal nem ez Böll legjobb könyve. A Böll-regények általános jellemzője, hogy a látszólag széttartó, kusza prózastílus mögött egy nagyon is feszes intellektuális ív van – itt ezt időnként hiányoltam. Mintha túl sokat rugózna marginális kérdéseken, a probléma valahogy homályosan van kibontva, ami pedig a megoldási alternatívát illeti – talán túl sokat kacsintgat a marxizmus felé. Külön pikantériája a dolognak, hogy ezt alig 10 évvel a keleti blokk felbomlása előtt teszi. Ettől függetlenül persze látszik, hogy egy mesteri író szövegével van dolgunk, csak éppen a mesteri író más szövegei ennél még mesteribbek.
October 24, 2019
The Safety Net (1979) by 1972 Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Boll was inspired in part by the leftist terrorism of the Red Army Faction often referred to as the Baader-Meinhoff gang. Founded in 1970 this West German far-left militant group engaged in a series of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, bank robberies, and shoot-outs with police over the course of three decades.
The plot of Boll’s novel focuses on the Tolm family, a diverse collection of striking personalities. Their prominence in society stems from their involvement in publishing and industry. This provides Boll with a platform to explore a variety of contemporary themes: capitalism, radicalism, moral standards, middle class angst, the role of religion in modern society, the stability of the clergy, the role of journalism in modern society and the grip of industrial power. Other central issues are the questions of safety and privacy as the Tolm family become prisoners of security in their own home. It is not surprising that escape is a particularly strong theme.
The narrative is written in a conversational tone, each chapter being told from the point of view of a different character. In turn the reader is exposed to the inner thoughts of the characters with all their individual expectations and rationalizations.
Published in 1981 the novel isn’t as dated as one might expect it to be. Many of the issues are still quite contemporary. It was translated by Leila Vennewitz and has an introduction by Salman Rushdie.
The plot of Boll’s novel focuses on the Tolm family, a diverse collection of striking personalities. Their prominence in society stems from their involvement in publishing and industry. This provides Boll with a platform to explore a variety of contemporary themes: capitalism, radicalism, moral standards, middle class angst, the role of religion in modern society, the stability of the clergy, the role of journalism in modern society and the grip of industrial power. Other central issues are the questions of safety and privacy as the Tolm family become prisoners of security in their own home. It is not surprising that escape is a particularly strong theme.
The narrative is written in a conversational tone, each chapter being told from the point of view of a different character. In turn the reader is exposed to the inner thoughts of the characters with all their individual expectations and rationalizations.
Published in 1981 the novel isn’t as dated as one might expect it to be. Many of the issues are still quite contemporary. It was translated by Leila Vennewitz and has an introduction by Salman Rushdie.
January 21, 2016
The story is about security. There are many characters in this book, some are family, some our business people, some are political, some are law enforcement. This is Germany from the time period following WWII to the seventies. Security would seem to be a good thing but security robs you of your freedom. You no longer can move about freely or enjoy things like birds flying. Only one person enjoys the security system and that is the one who sees it as a measure of her importance. The rest struggle with the loss of their freedom. Though this book was written in 1979 it addresses issues of today; terrorism, political security, freedom, environmental abuse for the sake of energy, I’ve read two books by the author and both books address the pressures of newspaper and law enforcement on the human spirit.
January 27, 2013
Not my favorite Boll. I like the set-up, the topic, structure, and overall narrative techniques, but there are way too many instances (Helga in relation to her husband's infidelity, Rolf about the "bucket") in which characters much too easily deduce important plot points. Makes the whole book feel too plotted, too crafted, instead of developing in an organic way. Pretty lazy moves from such an exceptionally talented author.
I do like the way the chapters go from these long, digressive, circular, meandering internal monologues (of sorts) to much brisker, charged chapters once all the shit starts going down. Even if it's not as successful in 2013 as it might have been in 1979, it's neat.
I do like the way the chapters go from these long, digressive, circular, meandering internal monologues (of sorts) to much brisker, charged chapters once all the shit starts going down. Even if it's not as successful in 2013 as it might have been in 1979, it's neat.
January 31, 2013
Tolm's life is in danger, a side effect of his position. The lives of his family are also at risk and as a result security is provided. This security however affects not just the lives of the people it protects, but those of their friends and neighbours. The safety net of the title seems to protect but also smother those underneath it.
July 7, 2025
Boll is one of the few German writers to actually try to explain why the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon happened. Clearly some form of socialism must happen.
I have to confess on a re-read it was not much better than the first time around.
I have to confess on a re-read it was not much better than the first time around.
July 17, 2013
سرپناه امن با ترجمه ی هما احمدی در 1371 به فارسی منتشر شده است
December 17, 2024
Heinrich Böll’s The Safety Net takes place in the 1970s in West Germany. The radical left-wing terrorist group known as the Baader-Meinhof Group was active in Germany at that time which serves as a backdrop for the book. The story revolves around the wealthy Tolm family. Fritz Tolm owns several newspapers and has been named as president of the Association. The police are providing surveillance or a safety net for the Tolm family. Fritz is in danger of being assassinated by the radical political group represented by his daughter-in-law Veronica Ziegler and her partner Heinrich Beverloh.
The police in their zealous efforts to protect the Tolm family from a potential terrorist attack end up causing more problems for the family and neighbors due to an invasion of their privacy.
I enjoyed the book, although it felt initially like a daunting read. Böll provides a list of around 100 characters at the start of the book, including the family, the industrialists, the police, friends and neighbors, etc. I found myself continually flipping back to this list in order to keep the characters straight in my mind. Eventually, the book was easier to follow. The last few chapters of the book seem to zoom by as the action picks up.
The book is mostly character driven with plenty of drama, including disappointed wives having an extra-marital love affair and leaving their husband, all while being watched by the police safety net. The terrorists are mostly looming in the background with the overzealous police digging into the private lives of these rich people.
Heinrich Böll won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972. This book is on Boxall’s “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die” list.
The police in their zealous efforts to protect the Tolm family from a potential terrorist attack end up causing more problems for the family and neighbors due to an invasion of their privacy.
I enjoyed the book, although it felt initially like a daunting read. Böll provides a list of around 100 characters at the start of the book, including the family, the industrialists, the police, friends and neighbors, etc. I found myself continually flipping back to this list in order to keep the characters straight in my mind. Eventually, the book was easier to follow. The last few chapters of the book seem to zoom by as the action picks up.
The book is mostly character driven with plenty of drama, including disappointed wives having an extra-marital love affair and leaving their husband, all while being watched by the police safety net. The terrorists are mostly looming in the background with the overzealous police digging into the private lives of these rich people.
Heinrich Böll won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972. This book is on Boxall’s “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die” list.
October 31, 2023
Բյոլլի «Բիլյարդ ինն անց կեսին» գրքում մի էսպիսի արտահայտություն կա, հենց գրքի սկզբում՝ նրա ձայնի մեջ ողջ քաղաքավարությունը կարծես բանաձևի էր վերածվել, ասես ջրի փոխարեն առաջարկեր h20։ (մո՜տավոր եմ հիշում)
Այ հենց էս գրքի լեզուն լրիվ «ջրի փոխարեն h20»-ն էր, ոնց որ հեղինակը լեզվի բանաձևերով խոսեր, ոչ թե հենց բուն լեզվով՝ իր բոլոր էմոցիոնալ շերտերով հանդերձ։
Էնքան շատ էին կերպարները, որ գրքի մեջ անընդհատ նշումներ էի անում, որ հիշեմ, թե ով ում բարեկամն է։ Նույնիսկ կերպարներից մեկի անունը մի քանի անգամ գրել-ջնջել եմ, չէի հասկանում՝ Ռոլֆի նախկին կինն է, թե քույրը ։Ճ հետո պարզվեց իհարկե։
Սկիզբը շատ դժվար գնաց առաջ, հետո վարժվեցի թե՛ «ռոբոտային» լեզվին, թե՛ խառնաշփոթ պատմությանը։ Ամեն դեպքում սա ուշադիր ընթերցողի համար է, եթե հենց էնպես վերցնես ու կարդաս՝ կեսին էլ չես հասնի։ Ես շատ շուտ գլխի ընկա, դրա համար ինձ մոտ ստացվեց գիրքը հաղթահարելը։
Իսկ երբ որ ի վիճակի ես լինում հաղթահարել էս գիրքը, չհավանելը գրեթե անհնար է։ Որովհետև հեղինակի հետ միասին տանջվում ես ու ի վերջո տեղ հասնում։ :))
Այ հենց էս գրքի լեզուն լրիվ «ջրի փոխարեն h20»-ն էր, ոնց որ հեղինակը լեզվի բանաձևերով խոսեր, ոչ թե հենց բուն լեզվով՝ իր բոլոր էմոցիոնալ շերտերով հանդերձ։
Էնքան շատ էին կերպարները, որ գրքի մեջ անընդհատ նշումներ էի անում, որ հիշեմ, թե ով ում բարեկամն է։ Նույնիսկ կերպարներից մեկի անունը մի քանի անգամ գրել-ջնջել եմ, չէի հասկանում՝ Ռոլֆի նախկին կինն է, թե քույրը ։Ճ հետո պարզվեց իհարկե։
Սկիզբը շատ դժվար գնաց առաջ, հետո վարժվեցի թե՛ «ռոբոտային» լեզվին, թե՛ խառնաշփոթ պատմությանը։ Ամեն դեպքում սա ուշադիր ընթերցողի համար է, եթե հենց էնպես վերցնես ու կարդաս՝ կեսին էլ չես հասնի։ Ես շատ շուտ գլխի ընկա, դրա համար ինձ մոտ ստացվեց գիրքը հաղթահարելը։
Իսկ երբ որ ի վիճակի ես լինում հաղթահարել էս գիրքը, չհավանելը գրեթե անհնար է։ Որովհետև հեղինակի հետ միասին տանջվում ես ու ի վերջո տեղ հասնում։ :))
January 6, 2018
Getting thought The Safety Net challenged me. I think it had to do with the multitude of characters the author included. The character list in the beginning brought to mind the list at the beginning of Tolstoy's War and Peace. That’s an achievement for a book approximately one-fifth its length.
Several sections read like character sketches. I've found Boll's writing style comparable to that of a journalist reporting facts. (The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum serves as the apogee of this method.) When combined with the ‘telling’ as opposed to ‘showing’, I caught myself skimming the text several times. With the complexity of the plot, it made following the story more difficult.
Still, just about anything written by Boll is worth taking the time to read. The author chose an excellent theme for this novel. If I were better versed in the period of German history he chose as the story’s background, I’m sure I would have enjoyed the book much more.
Several sections read like character sketches. I've found Boll's writing style comparable to that of a journalist reporting facts. (The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum serves as the apogee of this method.) When combined with the ‘telling’ as opposed to ‘showing’, I caught myself skimming the text several times. With the complexity of the plot, it made following the story more difficult.
Still, just about anything written by Boll is worth taking the time to read. The author chose an excellent theme for this novel. If I were better versed in the period of German history he chose as the story’s background, I’m sure I would have enjoyed the book much more.
June 3, 2024
I enjoyed this for what I think are the wrong reasons - a contemporary novel that now reads like recent history, of a consequential place (post-war Germany, well part of it) that I know almost nothing about.
The lives and concerns portrayed here seem far away now, as we move further away from the 20th Century, which seemed to mark the end of something in Europe, and into the 21st, which seems to mark the start of a new cycle somewhere else (nothing being that simple of course).
Nostalgia in a way for a time and a place I was only vaguely of - a Germany and Europe confronting the aftermath of two exhausting wars rather than their diminished place in the world.
In some ways, the trade-offs around security should be relevant - and in some ways, they are - but this seems to reflect the priorities of a bygone world. An improbable or highly plausible story (it seems to veer between these two) that I found hard to evaluate, or - as I neared the end - care deeply about.
Having said that, I wonder if that's the point - a portrait of an unstable limbo, that leaves you feeling empty, and slightly on edge.
The lives and concerns portrayed here seem far away now, as we move further away from the 20th Century, which seemed to mark the end of something in Europe, and into the 21st, which seems to mark the start of a new cycle somewhere else (nothing being that simple of course).
Nostalgia in a way for a time and a place I was only vaguely of - a Germany and Europe confronting the aftermath of two exhausting wars rather than their diminished place in the world.
In some ways, the trade-offs around security should be relevant - and in some ways, they are - but this seems to reflect the priorities of a bygone world. An improbable or highly plausible story (it seems to veer between these two) that I found hard to evaluate, or - as I neared the end - care deeply about.
Having said that, I wonder if that's the point - a portrait of an unstable limbo, that leaves you feeling empty, and slightly on edge.
May 11, 2020
From the dog days at the end of the 1970s comes a German dystopian novel with a four page cast list and more bad extremes than you can blow up with a pipe bomb. Capitalist greed, environmental destruction, murder, terrorism, marital infidelity, over-zealous surveillance, intrusive security, killer robot birds, unplanned pregnancy, recanting priests and exploding bicycles. Fritz Tolm, thrust back on top of the corporate pile despite familial baggage, surveys it impassively: scheming colleagues, dirty press, dropout kids, brown coal. All he really wants is to hear the birds sing. Impressively crafted novel, although it perhaps hasn't aged too well.
October 28, 2022
Nyt oli "hieman" vaikea päästä kärryille mistä tässä oli kyse. Henkilöitä ja nimiä vilisi, kappaleilla oli aina eri ydinhahmo, ja päähenkilön vaihtumista ei välttämättä edes tajunnut kun vasta ihan loppupuolella kappaletta. Jonkinlainen väkivallan tai terrorismin uhka leijui ympärillä jatkuvasti, mutta uhan aiheuttajasta ei päässyt ihan helposti jyvälle.
Kirjan pahin haaste oli, että lukijan odotettiin tietävän jotain jo valmiiksi, henkilöitä ei oikeastaan esitelty, eikä tapahtumia taustoitettu mitenkään. Olisikohan käynyt niin, että aika on (ainakin tässä tapauksessa) syönyt lukijalta kyvyn ymmärtää kirjan ajan Länsi-Saksan yhteiskunnan tilaa?
Kirjan pahin haaste oli, että lukijan odotettiin tietävän jotain jo valmiiksi, henkilöitä ei oikeastaan esitelty, eikä tapahtumia taustoitettu mitenkään. Olisikohan käynyt niin, että aika on (ainakin tässä tapauksessa) syönyt lukijalta kyvyn ymmärtää kirjan ajan Länsi-Saksan yhteiskunnan tilaa?
October 18, 2020
I think if I'd read The Safety Net ten years ago I'd probably have found it more riveting. It's a story of surveillance and state control in Germany, with a multifaceted family drama as the driving force. But in face of what we're going through now, propaganda wars, social media manipulation, fake videos, a President promising chaos...it just seemed a bit tame.
It is very good. The characters are so well drawn. It's sinister as hell. But maybe I'd appreciate it more at a different time.
It is very good. The characters are so well drawn. It's sinister as hell. But maybe I'd appreciate it more at a different time.
July 23, 2022
"The Safety Net" is a marvellous novel that has been sadly overlooked. I understand why many found it hard to get into. It is dry. It is cerebral. It doesn't have much in the way of a plot. But it really is worth the effort. I happen to think it's one of the greatest, truest social satires of our time. It seems to get truer and truer each year. I find my thoughts returning to it again and again. If Thomas Mann had been around in the late 20th Century I think he would have written something like this.
September 3, 2025
Böll always makes me feel like I'm learning some history in an easy way, in this case that of the Baader-Meinhof-style domestic terrorism in Germany in the 1970s.
The story centers on a newspaper publisher, a kind of easy-going not ruthlessly ambitious capitalist, who is elected head of some semi-secret "association" of powerful bankers and industrialists and the resulting security to which his extended family (including a few on the terrorism spectrum) is subject becomes a dominant theme of the story.
The story centers on a newspaper publisher, a kind of easy-going not ruthlessly ambitious capitalist, who is elected head of some semi-secret "association" of powerful bankers and industrialists and the resulting security to which his extended family (including a few on the terrorism spectrum) is subject becomes a dominant theme of the story.
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