PeterL

American writer Jonathan Littell won France's top literary honor, the
Goncourt Prize, on Monday for a 900-page novel narrated by a Nazi SS
officer - and written in French.


"Les Bienveillantes," or "The Kindly Ones," has won wide attention in
France both for its subject matter and the nationality of its author.
The Prix Goncourt is France's most prestigious literary prize.


The 38-year-old Littell was not in Paris when the award was announced,
but in Barcelona, Spain, where he lives, according to his publishing
house Gallimard. Littell won the Academie Francaise's top literary
honor last month.


Antoine Gallimard, Littell's editor, said the author was "very happy"
about the prize but preferred to remain out of the limelight.


The book, which has topped French best-seller lists for weeks, will be
published in the United States in 2008, following an extensive bidding
war won by HarperCollins.


It has sold 200,000 copies since it was released in late August,
according to Gallimard.

PeterL

Runge wrote:
    > No need to tell us it is OT, therefore completely useless

Then why did you read it, and responded?


    > "PeterL" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de news:
    > [email protected] om...
    > > American writer Jonathan Littell won France's top literary honor, the
    > > Goncourt Prize, on Monday for a 900-page novel narrated by a Nazi SS
    > > officer - and written in French.
    > >
    > >
    > > "Les Bienveillantes," or "The Kindly Ones," has won wide attention in
    > > France both for its subject matter and the nationality of its author.
    > > The Prix Goncourt is France's most prestigious literary prize.
    > >
    > >
    > > The 38-year-old Littell was not in Paris when the award was announced,
    > > but in Barcelona, Spain, where he lives, according to his publishing
    > > house Gallimard. Littell won the Academie Francaise's top literary
    > > honor last month.
    > >
    > >
    > > Antoine Gallimard, Littell's editor, said the author was "very happy"
    > > about the prize but preferred to remain out of the limelight.
    > >
    > >
    > > The book, which has topped French best-seller lists for weeks, will be
    > > published in the United States in 2008, following an extensive bidding
    > > war won by HarperCollins.
    > >
    > >
    > > It has sold 200,000 copies since it was released in late August,
    > > according to Gallimard.
    > >
    > >

Runge

No need to tell us it is OT, therefore completely useless

"PeterL" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de news:
[email protected] om...
    > American writer Jonathan Littell won France's top literary honor, the
    > Goncourt Prize, on Monday for a 900-page novel narrated by a Nazi SS
    > officer - and written in French.
    > "Les Bienveillantes," or "The Kindly Ones," has won wide attention in
    > France both for its subject matter and the nationality of its author.
    > The Prix Goncourt is France's most prestigious literary prize.
    > The 38-year-old Littell was not in Paris when the award was announced,
    > but in Barcelona, Spain, where he lives, according to his publishing
    > house Gallimard. Littell won the Academie Francaise's top literary
    > honor last month.
    > Antoine Gallimard, Littell's editor, said the author was "very happy"
    > about the prize but preferred to remain out of the limelight.
    > The book, which has topped French best-seller lists for weeks, will be
    > published in the United States in 2008, following an extensive bidding
    > war won by HarperCollins.
    > It has sold 200,000 copies since it was released in late August,
    > according to Gallimard.
    >

Runge

You really think I read it ?

"PeterL" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de news:
[email protected]. com...

Runge wrote:
    > No need to tell us it is OT, therefore completely useless

Then why did you read it, and responded?


    > "PeterL" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de news:
    > [email protected] om...
    > > American writer Jonathan Littell won France's top literary honor, the
    > > Goncourt Prize, on Monday for a 900-page novel narrated by a Nazi SS
    > > officer - and written in French.
    > >
    > >
    > > "Les Bienveillantes," or "The Kindly Ones," has won wide attention in
    > > France both for its subject matter and the nationality of its author.
    > > The Prix Goncourt is France's most prestigious literary prize.
    > >
    > >
    > > The 38-year-old Littell was not in Paris when the award was announced,
    > > but in Barcelona, Spain, where he lives, according to his publishing
    > > house Gallimard. Littell won the Academie Francaise's top literary
    > > honor last month.
    > >
    > >
    > > Antoine Gallimard, Littell's editor, said the author was "very happy"
    > > about the prize but preferred to remain out of the limelight.
    > >
    > >
    > > The book, which has topped French best-seller lists for weeks, will be
    > > published in the United States in 2008, following an extensive bidding
    > > war won by HarperCollins.
    > >
    > >
    > > It has sold 200,000 copies since it was released in late August,
    > > according to Gallimard.
    > >
    > >

Venthi

"PeterL" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...

<< American writer Jonathan Littell won France's top literary honor, the
Goncourt Prize, on Monday for a 900-page novel narrated by a Nazi SS
officer - and written in French.>>

Read this first and save your money on buying it.

French fiction

A bad case of over-excitement
Nov 2nd 2006
From The Economist print edition

WRITTEN in French by an American, Jonathan Littell's new novel, "Les
Bienveillantes", has been the sensation of the rentr�e litt�raire, the
French fiction season. Set for an initial print run of 12,000, it had sold
nearly 200,000 copies by the end of September. A month later, the Acad�mie
Fran�aise awarded the book its grand prize for fiction; it is on the
shortlist for two others including the Prix Goncourt, which will be
announced on November 6th. Mr Littell, a former aid worker, is the son of a
thriller writer. Le Monde likens him to Tolstoy. But is his book any good?

"Les Bienveillantes"-literally the "kindly ones", but also a euphemism for
the Furies of Greek mythology-is a former SS officer's account of his
exploits during the second world war. Mixing reminiscence,
self-justification and philosophical musings, Max Aue describes his work
with a German death squad during the invasion of the Soviet Union. The
action sweeps through the Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad and the
Majdanek and Auschwitz death camps to Hitler's bunker in its last days.

Mr Littell's research is meticulous. Aue mixes with the leading historical
figures of the time, and the intricacies of Nazi bureaucracy are
depressingly real. But the novel founders under the weight of its own
detail. The reader must endure an exploration of the origins of the Tats, a
Caucasian tribe, and an equally drawn-out argument over rations allocated to
inmates of concentration camps. Mr Littell's anti-hero shows signs of deep
disturbance: an incestuous relationship with his sister, sado-masochistic
homosexuality and a violent matricide form only a small part of a traumatic
life. As the Third Reich crumbles, so "Les Bienveillantes" falls apart. In
one of the last scenes, as Hitler pins a medal to his breast, Aue playfully
tweaks the F�hrer's nose. At the Frankfurt book fair last month, publishers
made frenzied bids for the foreign rights. They may be in for a pasting.

Martin

On Tue, 7 Nov 2006 15:45:23 -0000, "Venthi"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >"PeterL" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected] oups.com...
    ><< American writer Jonathan Littell won France's top literary honor, the
    > Goncourt Prize, on Monday for a 900-page novel narrated by a Nazi SS
    > officer - and written in French.>>
    >Read this first and save your money on buying it.
    >French fiction
    >A bad case of over-excitement
    >Nov 2nd 2006
    >From The Economist print edition
    >WRITTEN in French by an American, Jonathan Littell's new novel, "Les
    >Bienveillantes", has been the sensation of the rentr�e litt�raire, the
    >French fiction season. Set for an initial print run of 12,000, it had sold
    >nearly 200,000 copies by the end of September. A month later, the Acad�mie
    >Fran�aise awarded the book its grand prize for fiction; it is on the
    >shortlist for two others including the Prix Goncourt, which will be
    >announced on November 6th. Mr Littell, a former aid worker, is the son of a
    >thriller writer. Le Monde likens him to Tolstoy. But is his book any good?
    >"Les Bienveillantes"-literally the "kindly ones", but also a euphemism for
    >the Furies of Greek mythology-is a former SS officer's account of his
    >exploits during the second world war. Mixing reminiscence,
    >self-justification and philosophical musings, Max Aue describes his work
    >with a German death squad during the invasion of the Soviet Union. The
    >action sweeps through the Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad and the
    >Majdanek and Auschwitz death camps to Hitler's bunker in its last days.
    >Mr Littell's research is meticulous. Aue mixes with the leading historical
    >figures of the time, and the intricacies of Nazi bureaucracy are
    >depressingly real. But the novel founders under the weight of its own
    >detail. The reader must endure an exploration of the origins of the Tats, a
    >Caucasian tribe, and an equally drawn-out argument over rations allocated to
    >inmates of concentration camps. Mr Littell's anti-hero shows signs of deep
    >disturbance: an incestuous relationship with his sister, sado-masochistic
    >homosexuality and a violent matricide form only a small part of a traumatic
    >life. As the Third Reich crumbles, so "Les Bienveillantes" falls apart. In
    >one of the last scenes, as Hitler pins a medal to his breast, Aue playfully
    >tweaks the F�hrer's nose. At the Frankfurt book fair last month, publishers
    >made frenzied bids for the foreign rights. They may be in for a pasting.

Sounds good, how long before I can buy a remaindered copy?
--

Martin

Runge

shut up martin.

"Martin" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de news:
[email protected]...
    > On Tue, 7 Nov 2006 15:45:23 -0000, "Venthi"
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>"PeterL" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >>news:[email protected] roups.com...
    >><< American writer Jonathan Littell won France's top literary honor, the
    >> Goncourt Prize, on Monday for a 900-page novel narrated by a Nazi SS
    >> officer - and written in French.>>
    >>Read this first and save your money on buying it.
    >>French fiction
    >>A bad case of over-excitement
    >>Nov 2nd 2006
    >>From The Economist print edition
    >>WRITTEN in French by an American, Jonathan Littell's new novel, "Les
    >>Bienveillantes", has been the sensation of the rentr�e litt�raire, the
    >>French fiction season. Set for an initial print run of 12,000, it had sold
    >>nearly 200,000 copies by the end of September. A month later, the Acad�mie
    >>Fran�aise awarded the book its grand prize for fiction; it is on the
    >>shortlist for two others including the Prix Goncourt, which will be
    >>announced on November 6th. Mr Littell, a former aid worker, is the son of
    >>a
    >>thriller writer. Le Monde likens him to Tolstoy. But is his book any good?
    >>"Les Bienveillantes"-literally the "kindly ones", but also a euphemism for
    >>the Furies of Greek mythology-is a former SS officer's account of his
    >>exploits during the second world war. Mixing reminiscence,
    >>self-justification and philosophical musings, Max Aue describes his work
    >>with a German death squad during the invasion of the Soviet Union. The
    >>action sweeps through the Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad and the
    >>Majdanek and Auschwitz death camps to Hitler's bunker in its last days.
    >>Mr Littell's research is meticulous. Aue mixes with the leading historical
    >>figures of the time, and the intricacies of Nazi bureaucracy are
    >>depressingly real. But the novel founders under the weight of its own
    >>detail. The reader must endure an exploration of the origins of the Tats,
    >>a
    >>Caucasian tribe, and an equally drawn-out argument over rations allocated
    >>to
    >>inmates of concentration camps. Mr Littell's anti-hero shows signs of deep
    >>disturbance: an incestuous relationship with his sister, sado-masochistic
    >>homosexuality and a violent matricide form only a small part of a
    >>traumatic
    >>life. As the Third Reich crumbles, so "Les Bienveillantes" falls apart. In
    >>one of the last scenes, as Hitler pins a medal to his breast, Aue
    >>playfully
    >>tweaks the F�hrer's nose. At the Frankfurt book fair last month,
    >>publishers
    >>made frenzied bids for the foreign rights. They may be in for a pasting.
    > Sounds good, how long before I can buy a remaindered copy?
    > --
    > Martin
    >