Los mercenarios

by Jean Lartéguy

«Los mercenarios» —combatientes del Batallón francés de Corea— es la novela del orgullo nacional burlado, de las energías que no hallan dónde emplearse, de los sacrificios sin fe y sin causa. Un general americano ambicioso y una montaña sin el menor valor estratégico, pero que ejerce su fascinación sobre ambos campos, dominan el drama.
«Los mercenarios» son, en su mayor parte, aventureros en estado puro, inolvidables figuras de hombre, los hijos irrecusables de un siglo de violencia.
«Los mercenarios» —segunda parte de la trilogía que empieza con «Los centuriones» y acaba con «Los pretorianos», y que puede leerse con completa independencia— quedará como un testimonio honrado y viril sobre el combatiente contemporáneo.

Genres: French Literature, France

319 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Lartéguy was born into what he called "one of those families of poor mountain peasants whose names are found inscribed on war memorials, but not in history books." Both his father and uncle had served in the First World War. With his country conquered by the Germans, Lartéguy escaped from France into Spain in March 1942. He remained there for nine months and spent time in a Francoist jail before joining the Free French Forces as an officer in the 1st Commando Group (1er groupe de commandos). During the war, he fought in Italy; Vosges and Belfort, France; and Germany. He remained on active duty for seven years until becoming a captain in the reserves in order to enter the field of journalism. Lartéguy received numerous military awards, to include: Légion d'honneur, Croix de guerre 1939-1945, and the Croix de guerre T.O.E.

After his military service, Lartéguy worked as a war correspondent, particularly for the magazine Paris Match. He covered conflicts in Azerbaijan, Korea, Palestine, Indochina, Algeria, and Vietnam. In pursuit of a story at the start of the Korean War, Lartéguy volunteered for the French Battalion and was wounded by an enemy hand grenade during the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. In Latin America, he reported on various revolutions and insurgencies, and in 1967 encountered Che Guevara shortly before his capture and execution. In the July 1967 issue of Paris Match, Lartéguy wrote a major article entitled "Les Guerilleros", where he wrote: "At a time when Cuban revolutionaries want to create Vietnam's all over the world, the Americans run the risk of finding their own Algeria in Latin America."

In 1955, he received the Albert Londres Prize for journalism

His experiences as a soldier and war correspondent influenced his writing. Some of the most emphasized topics in his writing are decolonization, nationalism, the expansion of Communism, the state of post-war French society, and the unglamorous nature of war. His novel Les chimères noires evokes the role played by Roger Trinquier during the Katanga Crisis. Published in 1963 it portrays vividly the chaos of civil war in the Congo after the murder of Patrice Lumumba and the conflict between Moise Tshombe secessionist government and the United Nations Forces. The novel is very critical of Belgian colonialism and is also a reliable expression of European views of Central Africa after independence. Several of his book titles were translated into English, with the most successful being his Algerian War series: The Centurions and The Praetorians. The former was adapted into a major motion picture in 1966, entitled Lost Command and starred Anthony Quinn.

Also, with his novel The Centurions, Lartéguy is credited with being the first to envision the 'ticking time bomb' scenario, which has regained relevance in recent debates on the use of torture in a counter-terrorism role. His novels have been read by military professionals, including General David Petraeus, in the new context of modern terrorism.

Reviews

[Thomé Freyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Numa escrita rápida e incisiva, como de resto é a guerra, Jean Lartéguy, vai mergulhando o leitor no quotidiano dos mercenários franceses na guerra da Coreia, ao mesmo tempo que recorre a várias analepses, guerra civil espanhola, segunda guerra mundial, para expor as motivações e história de vida dos primeiros.

[Bryan--The Bee’s Knees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mon français n'est pas assez bon pour écrire beaucoup sur Le Mercinaires ... mais, je l'ai aimé. Clichés, oui ... et c'est aussi de son temps - 1953-1960. Il mélange James Bond avec ... avec Camus, peut-être, et quelques idées libérales des années 1960 qui sont inconfortables aujourd'hui

Mais il est également intéressant de regarder les hommes qui ont vécu et combattu à cette époque.

[ErnstG · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai lu ce livre pour améliorer mon vocabulaire français. C'est un excellent livre de guerre avec des vignettes intéressantes qui raconte la préhistoire des personnages. La fin est un peu trop cynique pour moi.

[Fidel Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman d’un bâtard fasciste copain comme cochon avec les putschistes d’Alger et les bourreaux capitalistes du monde entier, et qui passe une partie du roman à se branler sur la division Charlemagne et leur mauvais traitement par les méchants dont ils ont envahi le pays… toutefois roman que j’ai beaucoup apprécié à l’époque. Un chien raciste mais qui sait raconter une histoire. Un témoignage intéressant d’un milieu et d’une idéologie affreuses mais ça vaut la peine de le lire.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un très bon bouquin, il est vrai que c’est un genre que j’aime. Le lecteur est parfois un peu perdu car JL saute d’un personnage à un autre et d’une époque à une autre. Mais c’est un portait attachant de tous ces gars qui après l’aventure de la guerre n’ont pas pu se réadapter à une vie plonplon. La fin est assez triste mais c’était la seule façon de terminer.