Alan Riding

Fascinating and informative history of Paris under German occupation that explores the spectrum of collaboration to resistance on the part of artists and writers. Both collaboration and resistance came in many stripes and gradations of involvement. Sartre, for example, seems not to have done much in the way of resistance, but in the aftermath becomes something of a spokesman for those years. I was introduced to many figures previously unknown to me including Leon Blum, social democratic leader prior to the occupation; Jean Guehenno and Jean Paulhan, both writers and resisters, who wrote about their experiences; also Varian Fry, who was an American who came to France and helped rescue as many as 2,000 French and/or Jews under threat from the Germans.

I was also interested to learn something about the relation between the German occupiers and the Vichy government. In all circles, there were not a few hateful anti-semites and enthusiastic Nazi supporters. It is striking to read about people who believed Nazism held the key to correct for the supposed decadence of democratic political systems. But there are as well stories of great courage and clear-headedness.

I cannot help read a book like this and wonder how I might respond in similar circumstances, under the duress and fear of a totalitarian regime. It is easy to see how much one might prefer to stay small and go unnoticed and hope for the best. But that is also the measure of the courage exhibited by those who participated actively in the resistance.

Highly recommended.… (mere)