He was the incarnation of political idealist and literary adventurer rivaling Hemingway. He wrote a series of novels that propelled him into the front ranks of writers of his time. As a literary figure, public personality, and political activist, Andre Malraux is without peer. Curtis Cate has written "a superb biography of one of the most adventurous and accomplished intellectuals of the century" (WASHINGTON TIMES)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
If Cate's gripping biography had been available November 23, 1996, when Malraux's remains joined those of Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, and Zola in the Pantheon, readers would have been even more bewildered by the burial site. An adventurer who always got photographed next to the Great Man, Malraux emerges here as a cause for marvel rather than admiration. Cate (George Sand, 1975. o.p.) is exhaustive in ferreting out documents of the interwar period at sites, whether in fact or fiction, of Malraux's exploits (e.g., Cochin-China, China, Turkey, Yemen, Spain, Vichy, and postwar France). Hardly a fan, Cate appears to have had the cooperation of all personal survivors and recognized members of the Malraux academic establishment. He cannot account for this constantly agitating Communist's becoming an eloquent Gaullist, and his evidence suggests that Malraux was a brilliant opportunist who became the "mythomaniac" depicted in his novels. Cate presumes considerable knowledge of 20th-century French literature and European history on the part of readers. For French literature and academic collections.?Marilyn Gaddis Rose, SUNY at Binghamton
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
It is no coincidence that the hero of the recent film The English Patient resembles in many of his adventurous ways Andre Malraux. It is so because Malraux personifies the romantic ideal--the man of dangerous action and lofty thought. Cate fills in the opaque areas and strips away the murky places in the life of a legendary figure quite admirably: the often misunderstood raid on a Cambodian temple and the subsequent three-year sentence for plundering art; the excursion to find the capital of the queen of Sheba; the famous novels, for example, La Condition Humaine (Man's Fate) for which he won the Goncourt; his role in mobilizing the world against Nazism; his daring Resistance work in 1944; and his career in French government with the de Gaulle administration. Cate's rendition of the engage intellectual is stimulating and undeniably informative, a combination that will send readers to his other works, particularly Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1973) and George Sands (1975). Bonnie Smothers
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Sum Of His Actions.,
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This review is from: Andre Malraux: A Biography (Hardcover)
"A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, nothing else." Given this quote by Andre Malraux, one is left with a sense of wonder, after reading this fascinating biography. As I contemplate the man's actions and involvements, over the course of his lifetime, I try to come up with a clear definition of who he actually was. Malraux, a man who made such an impact on French culture and on the political scene of his time, was a novelist, critic, journalist, archaeologist, financial speculator, and political figure. He was a complex man, and an adventurer. In this extremely readable biography, Curtis Cate attempts to correct the image of Malraux as a heroic, committed activist and intellectual. Cate, however, does not delve deeply enough into how the political, cultural and social environment of the times impacted Malraux, and the biography comes up short as a consequence. I was left bewildered, occasionally, without an understanding of why Malraux made some of his choices, especially in politics, and Cate appears to be equally at a loss. The author covers a wide spectrum of material in this biography, and though he fails to draw credible conclusions in many instances, the nature of his subject alone makes reading this book an extraordinary experience.Andre Malraux was born in Paris and was raised by his mother and grandmother. His parents were divorced. His father committed suicide in 1930. Malraux studied Oriental languages at the Ecole des Langues Orientales, although he did not graduate. At the age of 21 he left for Cambodia with his wife Clara Goldsmith. He was arrested and almost imprisoned for stealing a bas relief from the temple at Bantai Srey. The book details this "youthful" archeological expedition. In fact, this trip probably sparked the seed of revolution against colonialism in the young man. After returning to France, Malraux became highly critical of the French colonial authorities in Indochina and in 1925 helped to organize the Young Annam League and founded the newspaper "Indochina in Chains." He may also have worked for Kuomintang in China in 1927. On his return to France he published his first novel, "The Temptation of the West" (1926). This was followed by "The Conquerors' (1928), "The Royal Way" (1930) and "Man's Fate" (French: La Condition Humaine) (1934), a powerful novel about the defeat of a communist regime in Shanghai and the choices the losers have to face. He won the 1933 Prix Goncourt of literature for the latter novel. In the 1930's Malraux also joined archeological expeditions to Iran and Afghanistan. Malraux's anticolonial involvement in the Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese revolutions, inspired a series of novels that propelled him into the limelight as a writer of great intelligence and insight. This very intelligence, along with his participation in the political upheavals of the time, make Malraux's story so gripping. The book also delves into Malraux's service with the Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War, and his underground activities during WWII, when he worked for both British Intelligence and the French Resistance. These chapters in Malraux's life were a highpoint for me - thrilling reading! The bio also covers his postwar career as DeGaulle's Minister of Culture. I thoroughly enjoyed this somewhat flawed biography. Malraux was one of the most intriguing men of the 20th century. His need to experience danger, to risk his life on several occasions, and his desire to champion causes, made him a heroic and romantic figure. I am certainly inspired to read more of Malraux's work after finishing this book - an enjoyable and enlightening read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Andre Malraux,
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This review is from: Andre Malraux: A Biography (Paperback)
This is a well-researched, quite well-written biography for those who seek details (sometimes TOO detailed for me)of the life of this amazing person.
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