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Five Years of My Life: The Diary of Captain Alfred Dreyfus
Autobiography, Memoir, Jewish Studies, Military Studies
253 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1901
2 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Dreyfus
105 books5 followersAlfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish background whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most tense political dramas in modern French history. Known today as the Dreyfus Affair, the incident eventually ended with Dreyfus' complete exoneration.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 26, 2018
Impossible to "like" it - it's a memoir of an innocent, good, honest man, condemned to a 5-year-long torture, physical abuse and mental suffering, because to him being falsely accused of treason was the worst thing that could happen to an honourable soldier, loving his country and his duty. It's painful, reading about abuse he suffered in his prison in Guyane, reading censored letters from his wife where she could only write about their family and her emotions (not a word about her - and other brave people's - efforts to clear his name and to find the real culprit). Painful and awful, even though the happy (?) end is known to everyone. It's Kafka, but unlike in Kafka's books, here it's the real life, the real malice, the real physical abuse, something that really happened and something that could be (or is) repeated by unfeeling contemporary State bureaucracies.
April 29, 2022
Alfred Dreyfus'un tutuklu kaldığı süreçte kalem aldığı günleri ve kişisel mektuplarının bulunduğu bir metin var ellerimin arasında. Emile Zola'nın "Suçluyorum", Marcel Proust'un "Kayıp Zamanın İzinde" kitaplarında da değinildiği ve Fransa gibi pek çok ülkenin itiraz ettiği bir "haksız yere yargılanan" bu davanın esintilerini bulmanız mümkün.
Dreyfus'un satırlar arasında "ben masumum" sözü zihnimize yankılar halinde yayılırken sizi etkisi altına alacak kişisel metuplarıysa cabası! Okumalı mısın? Şüphesiz ki okuduğunda sen de haksızlık yapıldığına ikna olacaksın.
Bir adamın mahkumluk sürecini anlatan çarpıcı bir kitaptı. Bu kez başkası değil, bizzat suçu işlemeden yatan bir insanın kaleminden dinleyeceğiz. Hukuk mücadelesi adeta ders niteliğinde olup 5 yıl içinde yaşanılanlar inanılmayacak kadar ilginçti. 12 yılın sonunda sonuca ulaşılan bu süreç tam anlamıyla bir "özgürlük için mücadele" örneğidir. İyi ki okudum denebilecek ve uzun süre aklımdan silemeyeceğim bir kitaptı.
#ömrümdenbeşsene #cinqannéesdemavie #alfreddreyfus #vacilandokitap
Dreyfus'un satırlar arasında "ben masumum" sözü zihnimize yankılar halinde yayılırken sizi etkisi altına alacak kişisel metuplarıysa cabası! Okumalı mısın? Şüphesiz ki okuduğunda sen de haksızlık yapıldığına ikna olacaksın.
Bir adamın mahkumluk sürecini anlatan çarpıcı bir kitaptı. Bu kez başkası değil, bizzat suçu işlemeden yatan bir insanın kaleminden dinleyeceğiz. Hukuk mücadelesi adeta ders niteliğinde olup 5 yıl içinde yaşanılanlar inanılmayacak kadar ilginçti. 12 yılın sonunda sonuca ulaşılan bu süreç tam anlamıyla bir "özgürlük için mücadele" örneğidir. İyi ki okudum denebilecek ve uzun süre aklımdan silemeyeceğim bir kitaptı.
#ömrümdenbeşsene #cinqannéesdemavie #alfreddreyfus #vacilandokitap
July 30, 2011
Un livre poignant écrit par le capitaine Dreyfus, le héros trop souvent oublié de cette affreuse affaire. Son humanisme et surtout son extraordinaire patriotisme rendent encore plus indignes les actions des pseudo nationalistes qui le condamnèrent, en 1894 et plus encore en 1899 quand le nom du méprisable 'uhlan', le traitre Esterhazy, était déjà connu de tous. Rehabilité par la Republique, Dreyfus devrait devenir pour tous les francais un symbole plus fort que l'affaire qu'il suscita.
December 28, 2022
Ce livre audio est lu à deux voix : la correspondance entre Alfred Dreyfus et sa femme, Lucie, durant son emprisonnement. Les lettres de Lucie sont lues par la douce voix d’Émilie Moget et celles d’Alfred sont lues par Alexandre Cardin. Ils s’approprient le texte et essaient de transmettre des émotions à leurs auditeurs et auditrices. J’ai senti le désarroi face à l’absurdité de la situation, la lassitude, mais aussi l’amour qui lie ses deux êtres. Ses émotions rendent le récit poignant. Je me suis indignée avec Alfred, j’étais désespérée avec Lucie et je croisais les doigts pour un destin plus radieux. Rien que pour cela, je peux dire que c’est une très bonne écoute.
La suite de ma chronique :
https://lesparaversdemillina.com/cinq...
La suite de ma chronique :
https://lesparaversdemillina.com/cinq...
October 24, 2012
In 1894 Captain Alfred Dreyfus was arrested, tried and found guilty of high treason against his country for revealing top secret information to one of the officials in the German embassy. The only evidence to prove his guilt were some letters containing a handwriting similar to his that had been intercepted by a member of the Intelligence Bureau of the French General Staff. At the trial it was declared that this evidence was nil, and there was no proof of guilt on his part whatsoever. As this were not enough to convict him, several officials forged documents to prove his guilt. Dreyfus himself was completely innocent of every charge made against him, having a spotless record as a man devoted to his country, the army, and his family. Regardless of this, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence of treason is the single most awful -in its truest since- crime for a soldier to commit against the country he has given his life to, and Dreyfus was no exception to this. The mental agony he went through was far worse than any physical suffering he experienced.
After several months of close confinement, Dreyfus was sent to Devil’s Island (a former leper colony) off of the French Guiana. Where he lived for the next five years. As Dreyfus was the only Jew on staff, there was considerable prejudice against him, and what he went through on the island was much more than the meanest criminal should have undergone. He describes in detail the rigorousness of his captivity reaching its climax when he was kept within the boundaries of the tall fence, built closely around his hut/cell during the intense heat of the day, and chained to the bed at night, all the while watched every moment by a guard with a gun pointed at his head.
All throughout his five years of imprisonment the only thing that kept him alive was the thought of his duty to his wife and two children, and his name. His wife, Lucie, with many others, worked hard to clear his name, writing him constantly (though for the most part, they did not arrive for two or three months after having sent them due to censorship). The letters are filled with her love and admiration for him, her immense pain at his suffering, and the courage of a very brave woman. Shortly after the arrest she wrote to her husband saying, “...Our fortunes, our lives, all shall be devoted to seeking the guilty one. We shall find them; it must be done... We shall make of your son a man like yourself; I could not chose a better example.” These letters indeed were the only thing that kept his sanity and prevented himself from giving up the hope and will to live. This and the knowledge of his duty. For, if he forsook this duty, he would die with the name of a traitor, a name which his children would have to carry on, knowing that the real perpetrator of the crime was still free to work his treason. However, this is where I think one of his greatest faults lay.
Duty is one of the highest quality traits we can aspire to. Webster describes it as: “That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform. Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties...” But, Dreyfus, as an unbelieving Jew, made Duty his god. In 1898 he wrote to his wife, “But above everything else rises the worship of Honor... Oppression and injustice arises from causes outside ourselves - beyond our control. But our Honor is our own...”
Never once does he mention it as God’s will, but rather some unaccountable and accidental fate of life that would end in his deliverance. Dreyfus had incredible courage and faith, but faith in man’s own perseverance rather than God’s power. It makes one wonder what the outcome would have been if his faith and trust had been in God. Actually, we have already seen the outcome in many cases of Christians who were held in concentration camps during WWII and put through the most severe extremities. The ones who never doubted Christ to the end not only helped themselves, but were instruments in leading hundreds of other to a saving knowledge of Him, including many of the agents of torture. People like Corrie Ten-Boom and her family. However, for poor Dreyfus, this was not the case.
Eventually, after five years of this barbarous treatment, he was pardoned, though he continued to fight for his vindication of name. In 1906 Dreyfus was fully exonerated and received the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'honneur. Nevertheless, it is hard to repay all the sufferings he and his family went though.
I would most definitely recommend this book as one that should be read as an example of a man to be looked up to, with exceptional courage, not giving in when it seemed that all were against him. Whatever trials or hardships we may go through, there is always someone who has been through much more than us. It is not often that a innocent man finds himself the complete hatred and contempt of the country he so dearly loved and was devoted too. Lastly, though Alfred Dreyfus was not a christian, we can use the example he set for us, as a man who’s name has gone down as that of fortitude, having “courage in pain or adversity,” taking it a step further with God’s grace. A very powerful and moving book.
After several months of close confinement, Dreyfus was sent to Devil’s Island (a former leper colony) off of the French Guiana. Where he lived for the next five years. As Dreyfus was the only Jew on staff, there was considerable prejudice against him, and what he went through on the island was much more than the meanest criminal should have undergone. He describes in detail the rigorousness of his captivity reaching its climax when he was kept within the boundaries of the tall fence, built closely around his hut/cell during the intense heat of the day, and chained to the bed at night, all the while watched every moment by a guard with a gun pointed at his head.
All throughout his five years of imprisonment the only thing that kept him alive was the thought of his duty to his wife and two children, and his name. His wife, Lucie, with many others, worked hard to clear his name, writing him constantly (though for the most part, they did not arrive for two or three months after having sent them due to censorship). The letters are filled with her love and admiration for him, her immense pain at his suffering, and the courage of a very brave woman. Shortly after the arrest she wrote to her husband saying, “...Our fortunes, our lives, all shall be devoted to seeking the guilty one. We shall find them; it must be done... We shall make of your son a man like yourself; I could not chose a better example.” These letters indeed were the only thing that kept his sanity and prevented himself from giving up the hope and will to live. This and the knowledge of his duty. For, if he forsook this duty, he would die with the name of a traitor, a name which his children would have to carry on, knowing that the real perpetrator of the crime was still free to work his treason. However, this is where I think one of his greatest faults lay.
Duty is one of the highest quality traits we can aspire to. Webster describes it as: “That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform. Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties...” But, Dreyfus, as an unbelieving Jew, made Duty his god. In 1898 he wrote to his wife, “But above everything else rises the worship of Honor... Oppression and injustice arises from causes outside ourselves - beyond our control. But our Honor is our own...”
Never once does he mention it as God’s will, but rather some unaccountable and accidental fate of life that would end in his deliverance. Dreyfus had incredible courage and faith, but faith in man’s own perseverance rather than God’s power. It makes one wonder what the outcome would have been if his faith and trust had been in God. Actually, we have already seen the outcome in many cases of Christians who were held in concentration camps during WWII and put through the most severe extremities. The ones who never doubted Christ to the end not only helped themselves, but were instruments in leading hundreds of other to a saving knowledge of Him, including many of the agents of torture. People like Corrie Ten-Boom and her family. However, for poor Dreyfus, this was not the case.
Eventually, after five years of this barbarous treatment, he was pardoned, though he continued to fight for his vindication of name. In 1906 Dreyfus was fully exonerated and received the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'honneur. Nevertheless, it is hard to repay all the sufferings he and his family went though.
I would most definitely recommend this book as one that should be read as an example of a man to be looked up to, with exceptional courage, not giving in when it seemed that all were against him. Whatever trials or hardships we may go through, there is always someone who has been through much more than us. It is not often that a innocent man finds himself the complete hatred and contempt of the country he so dearly loved and was devoted too. Lastly, though Alfred Dreyfus was not a christian, we can use the example he set for us, as a man who’s name has gone down as that of fortitude, having “courage in pain or adversity,” taking it a step further with God’s grace. A very powerful and moving book.
June 11, 2024
« Ces lettres arrivaient au moment où l’auteur du crime était glorifié, pendant qu’ignorant de tous les événements qui se passaient en France, j’étais cloué sur mon rocher, criant mon innocence au pouvoir publique, multipliant les appels à ceux qui étaient chargés de faire la lumière d’assurer la justice. »
Un livre pour se révolter. Les lettres sont exactement, comme le dit Lucie Dreyfus, « bien banales et d’une monotonie désespérante » bien qu’elles témoignent de l’amour réciproque et indéfectible de Lucie et Alfred Dreyfus. C’est davantage la cruauté, l’injustice suprême subie par Alfred Dreyfus et racontée avec ses mots qui me touchent. Un ouvrage nécessaire pour comprendre les conséquences d’une affaire judiciaire, politique et sociale sur la vie d’un homme dont l’honneur a été bafoué jusqu’à la fin.
Un livre pour se révolter. Les lettres sont exactement, comme le dit Lucie Dreyfus, « bien banales et d’une monotonie désespérante » bien qu’elles témoignent de l’amour réciproque et indéfectible de Lucie et Alfred Dreyfus. C’est davantage la cruauté, l’injustice suprême subie par Alfred Dreyfus et racontée avec ses mots qui me touchent. Un ouvrage nécessaire pour comprendre les conséquences d’une affaire judiciaire, politique et sociale sur la vie d’un homme dont l’honneur a été bafoué jusqu’à la fin.
July 29, 2022
Audio livre VOolume – Lu par Emilie Moget et Alexandre Cardin - 5h19
“Ce récit du capitaine Dreyfus, écrit en 1901 à partir du journal qu’il tenait au bagne, constitue l’un des documents majeurs de l’Affaire. Il évoque le combat solitaire d’un homme à qui l’on refuse jusqu’aux explications sur ce dont on l’accuse ; le procès inquisitorial et les faux, la volonté d’avilissement de ses accusateurs, le bagne et l’île du Diable, « le cœur perdu, le cerveau en lambeaux », le procès en révision et la grâce finale.”
Ce premier extrait du résumé explique toute la signification et l’importance que le journal et les lettres échangées avec sa femme ont eues pour son procès en révision.
Bien qu’il ne dise pas l’entière vérité à sa femme sur ses conditions de détentions et ses pensées sinistres, il confie tout à son journal qui lui permet de structurer sa vie, de ne pas devenir fou et surtout de témoigner de ce qui se passe si loin de la Métropole !
Tout est éminemment intéressant, bien évidemment, mais je reconnais que j’ai eu quelques moments de lassitude car les échanges épistolaires comportaient des redites multiples et relativement fréquentes. Je n’ai pas toujours été capable de faire le tri entre toutes les nouvelles informations pertinentes pour son procès et les répétitions. Je pense que pour cela l’écoute est plus difficile pour faire la part des choses que la lecture qui autorise les sauts de paragraphe !
La lecture d’Emilie Moget et Alexandre Cardin, avec un ton très juste pour l’un et l’autre, a donné corps à la misère et au désespoir prégnants de ces mots qui, malgré tout, possédaient plein d’espoir !
#Cinqannéesdemavie #NetGalleyFrance
“Ce récit du capitaine Dreyfus, écrit en 1901 à partir du journal qu’il tenait au bagne, constitue l’un des documents majeurs de l’Affaire. Il évoque le combat solitaire d’un homme à qui l’on refuse jusqu’aux explications sur ce dont on l’accuse ; le procès inquisitorial et les faux, la volonté d’avilissement de ses accusateurs, le bagne et l’île du Diable, « le cœur perdu, le cerveau en lambeaux », le procès en révision et la grâce finale.”
Ce premier extrait du résumé explique toute la signification et l’importance que le journal et les lettres échangées avec sa femme ont eues pour son procès en révision.
Bien qu’il ne dise pas l’entière vérité à sa femme sur ses conditions de détentions et ses pensées sinistres, il confie tout à son journal qui lui permet de structurer sa vie, de ne pas devenir fou et surtout de témoigner de ce qui se passe si loin de la Métropole !
Tout est éminemment intéressant, bien évidemment, mais je reconnais que j’ai eu quelques moments de lassitude car les échanges épistolaires comportaient des redites multiples et relativement fréquentes. Je n’ai pas toujours été capable de faire le tri entre toutes les nouvelles informations pertinentes pour son procès et les répétitions. Je pense que pour cela l’écoute est plus difficile pour faire la part des choses que la lecture qui autorise les sauts de paragraphe !
La lecture d’Emilie Moget et Alexandre Cardin, avec un ton très juste pour l’un et l’autre, a donné corps à la misère et au désespoir prégnants de ces mots qui, malgré tout, possédaient plein d’espoir !
#Cinqannéesdemavie #NetGalleyFrance
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March 7, 20131st American edition 1901
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