The Story Archive

The Kindly Ones

Jonathan Littell · 2006 CE · Novel · French · Contemporary

Maximilian Aue, a former SS officer who has lived quietly since the war, sets down in his own unrepentant voice his service from the Einsatzgruppen in Ukraine to Stalingrad and the fall of Berlin. His narration of the machinery of the Holocaust is shadowed by private obsessions that echo Orestes pursued by the Furies. Written in French by an American-born author, it won the Prix Goncourt and the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 2006.

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Lineage

Attributes

Genre
HistoricalWarPsychological
Theme
War & ViolenceGuilt & ConsciencePower & CorruptionAtonementJustice & RevengeObsession
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
Anti-HeroVillain / TyrantThe Beast Within
Form
ConfessionUnreliable NarratorChronicle
Symbol / motif
BloodThe Battlefield
Conflict
vs Selfvs Society
Mode / tone
RealistTragic
Culture / tradition
French

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