Read about the Best book of the year: The Kindly Ones or Les Bienveillantes

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On this side of the Atlantic, many people may have not had any way of reading the best book of 2006. It is published by an American citizen carrying a French passport and who was denied French citizenship on two previous attempts. Les Bienveillantes which has been acquired by HarperCollins was initially published in French by Gallimard under the pseudo of Jean Petit. So far, American Jonathan Littell has become somewhat of a celebrity in France and the French-speaking world with his first or maybe last book. Les Bienveillantes or The Kindly Ones has received two of France's highest honors, Prix Goncourt and Prix de l'a Academie Francaise. For some of us who appreciate books in other languages, we are having a good time reading a book by a Jewish American author on this side of the Atlantic.

What is this book about?

Les Bienveillantes is a memoir that is about a former SS officer who leads a hidden life in a French town. Most of the people who have read it so far have said that it is a troubling novel that causes all of kinds of conversation at work and public places. It shows the journey of SS Officer Maximillien Aue, Sturmbannführer whose mission was to improve the production of camps. Some of his superiors described him as a stubborn man who said that the inhumane does not exist. Yet, he contributed to the creation of hell on earth for thousands of Jews. That is the man Jonathan Littell was trying to bring out of his hole by talking about the wrong acts he committed in his life. Others saw him as somebody who was bragging about what he did under Hitler's regime. This book has admirators and detractors. The latter can not understand why a Jewish writer wants to be in the skin of Nazi to write this book. They wonder whether he can replicate this feast of literature. They also wonder whether his father, Robert Littell, a famous writer and author, wrote the book. They have more criticism of the 38-year-old author who refuses to give intereviews and has since has been seen in Spain playing with his child and family.

We can not wait to see this book around here. If you can read French, you will do a good job of reading in that language. Does this book make you think of late Styron's Sophie's Choice? Go ahead and read it here too