Jonathan LITTELL ... Les Bienveillantes (2006)
AMERICAN-BORN Jonathan Littell has won the 2006 Prix Goncourt for French Literature, France’s most prestigious literary award, with his first novel which he wrote in French, his second language. Les Bienveillantes (or “The Kindly Ones”) (Gallimard, 2006) is a sumptuous novel about a Nazi officer who lives in France after World War II. Littell, the son of veteran journalist-turned-spy novelist Robert Littell, is the first American to win the Prix Goncourt. Look out for the English translation by Chatto and Windus when it comes out in early 2008.
posted by Eric Forbes at 5:08 AM
4 Comments:
I've read the first 28 pages in French and there's a long ways to go. I'm eager to hear some comments from other Anglophones who are reading it in French and what are your first impressions - my first impression is extreme oppression. The tone is utter hopelessness. It makes me think of Van Gogh's sketches in the mining region of France. Many shades of gray and no hope for a ray of sunlight. I plan on reading this book in the spring and summertime.
My french isn't perfect, and it took me over a month to finish. I found it absolutely riveting and gripping. It is dark and ugly, but impossible to put down. Some plot coincidences and seemingly arbitrary violence strike me as weaknesses, plus I'm not sure Littell really created a character that is completely convincing in his Nazi convictions. Still, I think this will be an international bestseller because it is such a fascinating and gripping read. Makes me want to learn more about Himmler, Eichmann and the SS. Plus, I think I'll re-read Speer's "Inside the 3rd Reich."
I am afraid I will have to wait another year for the English translation. I can't wait to get my hands on it.
PLEASE GET THIS COPY IN ENGLISH A.S.A.P. I NEED TO PUT A CLOSURE ON THE WWII ISSUES. THANK YOU.AINA TERZENS JUPITER FLORIDA
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