Billiards at Half-Past Nine, a classic of 20th-century literature from Heinrich Böll, unfolds the story of Robert Faehmel, whose meticulously ordered life is disrupted by the unexpected return of his former Nazi classmate. Set against the backdrop of post-war Germany, this novel delves into themes of guilt, redemption, and the lingering shadows of the past. With a print length of 280 pages, published by Penguin Classics on September 1, 1994, under ISBN-13 978-0140187243, this edition captures Böll’s poignant exploration of individual conscience and societal reconstruction in the aftermath of World War II.