Customer Reviews

Les Mandarins: Roman

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A winner of the prestigious prix Goncourt, it presents a slice in the life of a group of friends, most of whom were involved in the French resistance movement during the second world war. The book focuses on the personal changes each goes through in the face of the shifting political scene in France. The political struggle of the left is explored through the changing alliance of a small newspaper called "Espoir" (hope).

The book is primarily written in 3 voices: the owner of the newspaper (Henri Perron), his best friend - a seasoned writer and founder of the post-resistance leftist movement S.R.L. (Robert Dubreuilh), and a psychoanalyst - the wife of Robert Dubhreuil (Anne Dubhreuil). Each struggles to find happiness through redefining their role in a newly freed France.

Although Simone De Beauvoir insisted that this book not be viewed as a autobiography of any kind, one can't help but see the similarities between the Dubreuilhs and Simone and Jean-Paul Sartre. The political alignment of the Dubreuilhs, their open relationship and Anne's affair with an American writer are all remarkably similar to Sartre and De Beauvoir's own lives. Notably one could also make the link between the newspaper "Espoir" and the newspaper that Sartre founded in 1944 called "Les Temps Modernes" (Modern Times).

This book is a historically fascinating look at post-war France through the eyes of three intellectuals and their entourage. It has no real beginning nor a well-defined ending but still manages to entice the reader from page 1 until the end. My only complaint is the use by the author of many acronyms that are never defined or explained; perhaps a good French history book would be of help here.