curlyqlink
05-23-2009, 07:29 PM
Has anyone read this? Reactions?
I'm about a third of the way through, and I am beginning to believe that this is a truly great novel. I understand it has gotten slammed by reviewers (in the U.S., at least... in France it has won accolades). I think the slamming has to do with the subject matter, which is undeniably offensive.
The Kindly Ones is the fictional autobiography of a Nazi SS officer. He is as unapologetic as he is uninhibited, which makes large sections this book very unpleasant indeed. My response to this is, given the subject matter, shouldn't it be unpleasant?
I don't think there is any shock value at work here. The atrocities are recounted in the most mundane way possible. There is great artisty in this; in fact, oddly enough, this novel reminds me very much of Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past", where the monotonous becomes hypnotic and then, strangely, becomes fascinating.
Dr. Maximillian Aue, the protagonist, is a cultured and educated man. That he does what he does is powerful proof of the limits of culture and education. This is a terrifyingly honest novel.
I'm about a third of the way through, and I am beginning to believe that this is a truly great novel. I understand it has gotten slammed by reviewers (in the U.S., at least... in France it has won accolades). I think the slamming has to do with the subject matter, which is undeniably offensive.
The Kindly Ones is the fictional autobiography of a Nazi SS officer. He is as unapologetic as he is uninhibited, which makes large sections this book very unpleasant indeed. My response to this is, given the subject matter, shouldn't it be unpleasant?
I don't think there is any shock value at work here. The atrocities are recounted in the most mundane way possible. There is great artisty in this; in fact, oddly enough, this novel reminds me very much of Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past", where the monotonous becomes hypnotic and then, strangely, becomes fascinating.
Dr. Maximillian Aue, the protagonist, is a cultured and educated man. That he does what he does is powerful proof of the limits of culture and education. This is a terrifyingly honest novel.