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Lune noire
Les échos de la guerre ne parvenaient qu'à peine dans ce village perdu au fin fond de la Scandinavie.
Jusqu'au jour où les premiers soldats nazis apparurent au sommet de la côte.. Quel comportement adopter ? C'est finalement une forme de résistance qui va prévaloir, malgré ceux qui, à l'instar du commerçant Corell, préfèrent jouer le jeu de l'occupant. Une résistance sourde, silencieuse, obstinée, animée par le maire Orden, et son vieil ami le médecin Winter, qui va d'abord contraindre l'ennemi à la terreur, puis l'acheminer peu à peu vers l'angoisse, le désespoir...
C'est en 1942 que l'auteur de A l'Est d'Eden - plus tard prix Nobel de littérature - publia ce roman, édité clandestinement en France. Un huis clos où le village, cerné par la neige, apparaît peu à peu comme un microcosme de l'Europe confrontée à la barbarie totalitaire.
Jusqu'au jour où les premiers soldats nazis apparurent au sommet de la côte.. Quel comportement adopter ? C'est finalement une forme de résistance qui va prévaloir, malgré ceux qui, à l'instar du commerçant Corell, préfèrent jouer le jeu de l'occupant. Une résistance sourde, silencieuse, obstinée, animée par le maire Orden, et son vieil ami le médecin Winter, qui va d'abord contraindre l'ennemi à la terreur, puis l'acheminer peu à peu vers l'angoisse, le désespoir...
C'est en 1942 que l'auteur de A l'Est d'Eden - plus tard prix Nobel de littérature - publia ce roman, édité clandestinement en France. Un huis clos où le village, cerné par la neige, apparaît peu à peu comme un microcosme de l'Europe confrontée à la barbarie totalitaire.
158 pages, Pocket Book
First published January 1, 1942
About the author
John Steinbeck
1,131 books29.9k followersJohn Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters."
During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward F. Ricketts, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies.
Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists.
During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward F. Ricketts, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies.
Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists.
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October 21, 2011
‘I am a little man and this is a little town, but there must be a spark in little men that can burst into flame.’
John Steinbeck has always championed the spirit of survival in the face of great opposition, with novels about worker’s strikes, families struggling to survive the Depression, or even the survival of morality in a society increasingly concentrated on profits over people. In his short, 1942 novel, The Moon is Down, written to be adapted to the stage, Steinbeck turns his attention to the battle for democracy in the face of looming totalitarianism. While the countries remain nameless, the brief story concerns the invasion of Norway by the Nazis and the growing resistence of the townspeople in response to the Nazis attempts to control the population. The irony, of course, is the conquerors demands for “civility” in the face of their oppression, tone policing the townsfolk for active resistance in order to self-condone the public executions on the freedom fighters. While brief, this is a powerful book that gives Steinbeck a fresh setting to orchestrate his familiar themes as he examines survival, hierarchy, control and the will of people to rise above and resist in a story that is, ultimately, quite hopeful.
‘The people don’t like to be conquered, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.’
Set in a Norwegian coastal town that is of military importance for its shipping port, this small cast of characters consists of the “conquerors” who take up residence in the mayor’s palace, and the “conquered” who grow increasingly agitated in an attempt to drive back their invaders. The story was adapted into a stage play for which Steinbeck was awarded the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross in Norway, and it is easy to see how this was aimed for the theater with the story being dialogue-driven and mostly consisting of people coming and going from the same room with only two major scene changes that would function as an act I act II on stage. This allows Steinbeck to do what he does best: give brief monologues on the human spirit, morality, and instill hope in the hopeless.
‘The flies have conquered the flypaper’
The Nazis have tried to establish an impression of cooperation with the town, setting up in Mayor Orden’s home (note the name calls to mind the idea of “order”) and attempting to use him in order to control the populace. When an act of resistance kills an officer when he jumps in the way of a pick-axe to defend a fellow officer, the Nazi troops decide to execute the townsperson as a show of strength. The townspeople begin to organize together in a ‘slow, silent, waiting revenge’ that makes the conquerors uneasy, with an underground network spreading information and characters such as the local store keeper who works with the enemy as a spy and was modeled off Vidkun Quisling. ‘It disturbs the invaders now, I am told, how news runs through censorships, how the truth of things fights free of control,’ says Dr. Winter, and as in almost every Steinbeck book, we can look to the doctor character as a pillar of philosophical morality.
Steinbeck’s story turns into a tale about sacrifice and the icons we build to drive the spirits of others. With the enemy soldiers, we see them attempt to control and create “order,” something ironic as it is their presence and invasion that disrupted the order. The palace in which they reside is an attempt to create a symbol of dominance and peacekeeping, but as the novel progresses we see the palace deteriorating from their continued presence, a sure sign of them as the rot from inside. On the other hand, we see the resistance as lighting a fire in the hearts of the people even in the face of their own deaths. ‘To break man's spirit permanently,’ as the enemy is attempting, cannot occur if the people uplift each other. The Nazis order Orden to control his people but he knows he cannot, and he will go to his death to remind them to resist. ‘I have no choice of living or dying, you see, sir--but I do have a choice of how I do it,’ he says, ‘ I who am not a very brave man will have made them a little braver.’ He quotes Socrates saying the debt of his life must be paid, encouraging the resistance to continue larger and braver than ever.
The Moon is Down is a quick little read with a big punch. I would enjoy seeing this as a play and it captures all the classic Steinbeck elements in something that feels so grand scale and epic, showing the power of good over evil represented here as democracy over fascism. He never lets me down.
3.75/5
John Steinbeck has always championed the spirit of survival in the face of great opposition, with novels about worker’s strikes, families struggling to survive the Depression, or even the survival of morality in a society increasingly concentrated on profits over people. In his short, 1942 novel, The Moon is Down, written to be adapted to the stage, Steinbeck turns his attention to the battle for democracy in the face of looming totalitarianism. While the countries remain nameless, the brief story concerns the invasion of Norway by the Nazis and the growing resistence of the townspeople in response to the Nazis attempts to control the population. The irony, of course, is the conquerors demands for “civility” in the face of their oppression, tone policing the townsfolk for active resistance in order to self-condone the public executions on the freedom fighters. While brief, this is a powerful book that gives Steinbeck a fresh setting to orchestrate his familiar themes as he examines survival, hierarchy, control and the will of people to rise above and resist in a story that is, ultimately, quite hopeful.
‘The people don’t like to be conquered, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.’
Set in a Norwegian coastal town that is of military importance for its shipping port, this small cast of characters consists of the “conquerors” who take up residence in the mayor’s palace, and the “conquered” who grow increasingly agitated in an attempt to drive back their invaders. The story was adapted into a stage play for which Steinbeck was awarded the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross in Norway, and it is easy to see how this was aimed for the theater with the story being dialogue-driven and mostly consisting of people coming and going from the same room with only two major scene changes that would function as an act I act II on stage. This allows Steinbeck to do what he does best: give brief monologues on the human spirit, morality, and instill hope in the hopeless.
‘The flies have conquered the flypaper’
The Nazis have tried to establish an impression of cooperation with the town, setting up in Mayor Orden’s home (note the name calls to mind the idea of “order”) and attempting to use him in order to control the populace. When an act of resistance kills an officer when he jumps in the way of a pick-axe to defend a fellow officer, the Nazi troops decide to execute the townsperson as a show of strength. The townspeople begin to organize together in a ‘slow, silent, waiting revenge’ that makes the conquerors uneasy, with an underground network spreading information and characters such as the local store keeper who works with the enemy as a spy and was modeled off Vidkun Quisling. ‘It disturbs the invaders now, I am told, how news runs through censorships, how the truth of things fights free of control,’ says Dr. Winter, and as in almost every Steinbeck book, we can look to the doctor character as a pillar of philosophical morality.
Steinbeck’s story turns into a tale about sacrifice and the icons we build to drive the spirits of others. With the enemy soldiers, we see them attempt to control and create “order,” something ironic as it is their presence and invasion that disrupted the order. The palace in which they reside is an attempt to create a symbol of dominance and peacekeeping, but as the novel progresses we see the palace deteriorating from their continued presence, a sure sign of them as the rot from inside. On the other hand, we see the resistance as lighting a fire in the hearts of the people even in the face of their own deaths. ‘To break man's spirit permanently,’ as the enemy is attempting, cannot occur if the people uplift each other. The Nazis order Orden to control his people but he knows he cannot, and he will go to his death to remind them to resist. ‘I have no choice of living or dying, you see, sir--but I do have a choice of how I do it,’ he says, ‘ I who am not a very brave man will have made them a little braver.’ He quotes Socrates saying the debt of his life must be paid, encouraging the resistance to continue larger and braver than ever.
The Moon is Down is a quick little read with a big punch. I would enjoy seeing this as a play and it captures all the classic Steinbeck elements in something that feels so grand scale and epic, showing the power of good over evil represented here as democracy over fascism. He never lets me down.
3.75/5
July 15, 2011
Propaganda is a word often spewed in anger or indignation at some form of manipulative or self-serving communication. It’s generally viewed as objectionable, ugly, and immoral.
Meet the honorable, dignified exception to that stereotype.
John Steinbeck’s 1942 novel, written to support the Allied effort during WWII, is propaganda as pure as freshly fallen snow, as righteous and moral as love for humanity. It is propaganda in affirmation of freedom, self-determination, and the indomitable will of people to persevere and overcome.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The story begins with a peaceful, democratic village swiftly invaded and occupied by aggressive, fascist army bearing all of the telltales of Nazi Germany. “By 10:45 it was all over. The town was occupied, the defenders defeated, and the war was finished.” The brilliant irony of the novel’s first words is revealed only later as we learn that “the war” has barely even begun.
We meet the simple, hardworking people of the village, who seem perplexed, but not, initially, embittered by the invaders. We meet the enemy, Colonel Lanser and his officers, none of whom are presented as “mustache-twirling” villains. Just soldiers doing a job. The initial interactions are cordial, almost bizarrely so, and there is a sense that things may not be so bad.
Wrong..it is...and Steinbeck deftly, methodically commences to bleed the air of lightheartedness out of the narrative, and reveals the underlying severity of his message.
This brings me to the first major kudo I wish to bestow on Steinbeck. His manipulation and control over his material is impressive, and he effectively confounds your expectations through the slowly escalating gravity of the story’s tone. After the initial brutal invasion, including the killing of a group of the town’s soldiers, is glossed over and depicted in a casual, almost humorous fashion, I was thinking that this may be something akin to a black comedy.
Not the case, and Steinbeck begins to turn the screws.
The invaders need the townspeople to work the coal mine (the town’s coal resources were the reason it was targeted). The town people do not take kindly to being “forced” to work the mines. The invaders insist…
Tension…animosity…hatred…violence ensue that I will leave for you to discover.
THOUGHTS:
The horror of war, the enduring strength of freedom, and the self-defeating process of using humans to impose “inhuman” oppression, these are the messages of Steinbeck's work.
I want to talk a little about this latter aspect first, because it’s something you don’t see portrayed enough in stories about occupying forces. Usually, you see the damage that is inflicted on those that have been deprived of their liberty, and Steinbeck certainly does reflect this in the story. However, he also shows the dehumanizing, destructive effect of the occupation on the occupier.
As the townspeople become resentful and openly antagonistic, it begins to take a devastating toll on the enemy soldiers, who simply want to go home to their own families and feel like they have been lied to by their superiors. They find they must constantly be on their guard and can never travel alone, which has a serious effect on their morale. “Fear crept in on the men in their billets and it made them sad and it crept into their patrols and it made them cruel.” These soldiers, just like their captives, have lost their freedom, and Steinbeck’s portrayal of their desolation powerfully closes the circle on the “there are truly no winners in a war of aggression” theme.
There are only victims.
On the other side of the coin, Steinbeck extols the right of people to live free and inner resolve that comes from the yearning to self-determine.
His message, delivered throughout the second half of the story, is that the very nature of invasion and occupation give rise to the invaders downfall by reorganizing the previously self-interested and peaceful townsfolk into a cohesive band of freedom fighters.
Finally, I will begin my wrap up with one of my favorite quotes from the story, in which Steinbeck sums up his view on the futility of war.
It will stay with you long after you reach the end.
4.5 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
Meet the honorable, dignified exception to that stereotype.
John Steinbeck’s 1942 novel, written to support the Allied effort during WWII, is propaganda as pure as freshly fallen snow, as righteous and moral as love for humanity. It is propaganda in affirmation of freedom, self-determination, and the indomitable will of people to persevere and overcome.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The story begins with a peaceful, democratic village swiftly invaded and occupied by aggressive, fascist army bearing all of the telltales of Nazi Germany. “By 10:45 it was all over. The town was occupied, the defenders defeated, and the war was finished.” The brilliant irony of the novel’s first words is revealed only later as we learn that “the war” has barely even begun.
We meet the simple, hardworking people of the village, who seem perplexed, but not, initially, embittered by the invaders. We meet the enemy, Colonel Lanser and his officers, none of whom are presented as “mustache-twirling” villains. Just soldiers doing a job. The initial interactions are cordial, almost bizarrely so, and there is a sense that things may not be so bad.
Wrong..it is...and Steinbeck deftly, methodically commences to bleed the air of lightheartedness out of the narrative, and reveals the underlying severity of his message.
This brings me to the first major kudo I wish to bestow on Steinbeck. His manipulation and control over his material is impressive, and he effectively confounds your expectations through the slowly escalating gravity of the story’s tone. After the initial brutal invasion, including the killing of a group of the town’s soldiers, is glossed over and depicted in a casual, almost humorous fashion, I was thinking that this may be something akin to a black comedy.
Not the case, and Steinbeck begins to turn the screws.
The invaders need the townspeople to work the coal mine (the town’s coal resources were the reason it was targeted). The town people do not take kindly to being “forced” to work the mines. The invaders insist…
Tension…animosity…hatred…violence ensue that I will leave for you to discover.
THOUGHTS:
The horror of war, the enduring strength of freedom, and the self-defeating process of using humans to impose “inhuman” oppression, these are the messages of Steinbeck's work.
I want to talk a little about this latter aspect first, because it’s something you don’t see portrayed enough in stories about occupying forces. Usually, you see the damage that is inflicted on those that have been deprived of their liberty, and Steinbeck certainly does reflect this in the story. However, he also shows the dehumanizing, destructive effect of the occupation on the occupier.
As the townspeople become resentful and openly antagonistic, it begins to take a devastating toll on the enemy soldiers, who simply want to go home to their own families and feel like they have been lied to by their superiors. They find they must constantly be on their guard and can never travel alone, which has a serious effect on their morale. “Fear crept in on the men in their billets and it made them sad and it crept into their patrols and it made them cruel.” These soldiers, just like their captives, have lost their freedom, and Steinbeck’s portrayal of their desolation powerfully closes the circle on the “there are truly no winners in a war of aggression” theme.
There are only victims.
On the other side of the coin, Steinbeck extols the right of people to live free and inner resolve that comes from the yearning to self-determine.
His message, delivered throughout the second half of the story, is that the very nature of invasion and occupation give rise to the invaders downfall by reorganizing the previously self-interested and peaceful townsfolk into a cohesive band of freedom fighters.
Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.The armies measures to try and maintain control over the populace backfire, as they must, and the extremes to which the oppressed will go to secure that which was taken only becomes more amplified. “Don't you know you will have to kill all of us or we in time will kill all of you? You destroyed the law when you came in, and a new law took its place."
Finally, I will begin my wrap up with one of my favorite quotes from the story, in which Steinbeck sums up his view on the futility of war.
War is treachery and hatred, the muddling of incompetent generals, the torture and killing and sickness and tiredness, until at last it is over and nothing has changed except for new weariness and new hatreds.Steinbeck’s novel is a large story told on a very small stage. He doesn’t mince around with nuances or delicate philosophies. He goes straight at the fundamentals.
It will stay with you long after you reach the end.
4.5 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
September 22, 2021
The people don’t like to be conquered, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.
This powerful quote voices Steinbeck's views on freedom and democracy and his severe criticism on the dictatorial "one leader" concept and the Nazi despotism. Although I've heard that Steinbeck was considered a "Communist", there is no mistaking here of his support of democracy.
Steinbeck wrote The Moon is Down to uplift the morale of the allied forces during World War II. Modelled on the Nazi occupation in Norway, it tells the story of a military invasion on an unarmed small town in Northern Europe and the subsequent rise of the conquered against the conqueror. Having published it in 1942, Steinbeck expresses both his wish and belief that the "conquerors" (the Nazi) may not have their own way for long and the "conquered" (the people of the invaded countries), with the assistance of the friendly allies, will rise against the conquerors and defeat them thoroughly.
The story in itself isn't easy to read. The clash between the two sides and the ruthless suppression of the unarmed by the armed is grim and difficult to stomach. It is a mercy that the story is short. However, the voice is clear and the message conveyed across is powerful. Steinbeck's ordinarily colourful writing is replaced here with an impressive vitality that suited the subject of the story. The story's end marks Socrates's last words to Crito (as was noted in Plato's Phaedo), where Socrates requests his friend to pay his debt and Crito answers "the debt will be paid". These words were pertinent and prophetic. The "debt" was finally paid when the war came to an end in 1945, but at what cost?
This was a moving tragedy. Though the story was a little too much for my sensitive mind, I'm glad to have read it. The story prompted me to write a small tribute, and it will be shared below. I'm no poet, so, please bear up with me. :)
A Tribute to John Steinbeck's The Moon is Down:
The moon is down
The darkness descends
Embracing in slow degrees
The earth and men.
The creeping blackness darkens
The chilling coldness, freezes
The mind, body, and soul
Confused first, then angered
Biding time,
till a speck of light flashes
Illuminating,
The path to walk.
The speck turns in degrees
Into a beam, bringing radiance
Swallowing with tentative bites
The enclosing darkness,
Until a fire is kindled
Fierce and burning
Ominous and menacing
Vowing to engulf,
The chilling coldness
The maddening darkness
Promised by the invading hand
Choking free life.
They rise,
worse than any earthly force
Burning everything
In its ferocious force
Even as one by one falls
To taste the sweetness
of freedom that will come
When the moon shines bright
once again, on the clear sky.
More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/
December 12, 2013
John Steinbeck published The Moon is Down in 1942.
While not directly naming either Norway or Germany, the reader understands that the setting is Norway during the Nazi German occupation, which began in 1940. Written for easy adaptation to the theater, Steinbeck evokes Ibsen with his play-like, scene-focused action.
When the novel was published, Nazi German forces occupied much of Europe and North Africa and the Anglo-American and Russian allied forces had yet to check Nazi aggression and expansion. Steinbeck has created a simple, strident and moving declaration of the indomitable will of a people who refuse to give in to tyranny. The character Mayor Orden, a symbol of unassuming yet steadfast resistance and leadership, sums up the theme of the novel when he says:
“Our people are invaded, but I don’t think they are conquered”.
While not directly naming either Norway or Germany, the reader understands that the setting is Norway during the Nazi German occupation, which began in 1940. Written for easy adaptation to the theater, Steinbeck evokes Ibsen with his play-like, scene-focused action.
When the novel was published, Nazi German forces occupied much of Europe and North Africa and the Anglo-American and Russian allied forces had yet to check Nazi aggression and expansion. Steinbeck has created a simple, strident and moving declaration of the indomitable will of a people who refuse to give in to tyranny. The character Mayor Orden, a symbol of unassuming yet steadfast resistance and leadership, sums up the theme of the novel when he says:
“Our people are invaded, but I don’t think they are conquered”.
May 9, 2025
4.5
"Some one will say: And are you not ashamed, Socrates, of a course of life which is likely to bring you to an untimely end? To him I may fairly answer: There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong—acting the part of a good man or of a bad."
-From ‘The Apology of Socrates’ by Plato
This cleverly written and inspiring story is set in an unnamed European town and begins with its quiet defeat and occupation by an unnamed foreign country, presumably based on author’s hints and insinuations, Nazi Germany.
Ostensibly the town has surrendered and the occupiers have won. They think they’re in control.
This is no honorable war. This is a war of treachery and murder. Let us use the methods that have been used on us!
But secretly, in the heart of each and every citizen there grows hatred and revulsion and that hatred leads to rebellion and action.
Blood is spilled, retributions are sought and small sabotages are committed.
Soon tensions rise and the occupiers realize that they are not in control.
In fact, they had never been in control.
The people don’t like to be conquered... and so they will not be.
Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat.
Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars...
"Some one will say: And are you not ashamed, Socrates, of a course of life which is likely to bring you to an untimely end? To him I may fairly answer: There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong—acting the part of a good man or of a bad."
-From ‘The Apology of Socrates’ by Plato
This cleverly written and inspiring story is set in an unnamed European town and begins with its quiet defeat and occupation by an unnamed foreign country, presumably based on author’s hints and insinuations, Nazi Germany.
Ostensibly the town has surrendered and the occupiers have won. They think they’re in control.
This is no honorable war. This is a war of treachery and murder. Let us use the methods that have been used on us!
But secretly, in the heart of each and every citizen there grows hatred and revulsion and that hatred leads to rebellion and action.
Blood is spilled, retributions are sought and small sabotages are committed.
Soon tensions rise and the occupiers realize that they are not in control.
In fact, they had never been in control.
The people don’t like to be conquered... and so they will not be.
Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat.
Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars...
December 5, 2018
A small town is forced to decide to what extent it will cooperate with a tyrannical invader. Powerful and haunting - evil has rarely been exposed in truer banality. So many of the lessons in this book apply to situations we are seeing all over the world today. Recommended for those going into the military.
September 13, 2018
بعد از خوندن چهار کتاب از جان اشتاین بک با قطعیت به عنوان یکی از نویسندههای مورد علاقم در ادبیات کلاسیک ازش نام می برم.
این کتاب به مقاومت مردم یک شهر کوچیک در مقابل سربازان متجاوز آلمانی می پردازه که در ادوار مختلف همیشه در صلح بودن و دور از جنگ.
چیزی که تو متن توجه ام رو جلب کرد این بود که تنفر سربازان از وضعیتشون و زندانی شدن در یه شهر تسخیر شده دقیقا به اندازه تنفر مردم شهر قصبه از جنگ و متجاوزان بود. اما به جای تلاش برای رهایی از وضعیت پیش اومده بیشتر در منجلاب قوانینی فرو می رفتند که عمل به اون ها به مثابهی پرستش یک بت (پیشوا) براشون اهمیت و ارزش داشت.
دیالوگ های رد و بدل شده ما بین سرهنگ آلمانی و شهردار قصبه جذاب ترین و به یاد موندنی ترین بخش داستان رو تشکیل میدادند.
جان اشتاین بک از روح و قداست زندگی مینویسه. اونقدر عمیق و دوست داشتنی که آدمو وادار میکنه چندین و چندبار کتاب هاشو بخونه و هربار بیش از پیش ازشون لذت ببره.
این کتاب به مقاومت مردم یک شهر کوچیک در مقابل سربازان متجاوز آلمانی می پردازه که در ادوار مختلف همیشه در صلح بودن و دور از جنگ.
چیزی که تو متن توجه ام رو جلب کرد این بود که تنفر سربازان از وضعیتشون و زندانی شدن در یه شهر تسخیر شده دقیقا به اندازه تنفر مردم شهر قصبه از جنگ و متجاوزان بود. اما به جای تلاش برای رهایی از وضعیت پیش اومده بیشتر در منجلاب قوانینی فرو می رفتند که عمل به اون ها به مثابهی پرستش یک بت (پیشوا) براشون اهمیت و ارزش داشت.
دیالوگ های رد و بدل شده ما بین سرهنگ آلمانی و شهردار قصبه جذاب ترین و به یاد موندنی ترین بخش داستان رو تشکیل میدادند.
جان اشتاین بک از روح و قداست زندگی مینویسه. اونقدر عمیق و دوست داشتنی که آدمو وادار میکنه چندین و چندبار کتاب هاشو بخونه و هربار بیش از پیش ازشون لذت ببره.
May 16, 2012
Short and bitter sweet, The Moon is Down shows what becomes of docile countryfolk when they are invaded and subjugated.
Not sure what to expect from this lesser known work by Steinbeck, my first impression after a few pages was that I was in for a light comedy, a sort of Catch-22 anti-war declaration, apparently with silly citizens and gullible army officers acting out a daffy pre-"Hogan's Heroes" farce.
But then it turned serious and dark, and actually hopeful. There are small heroes, tiny victories. The struggle is not valiant. There are no action-packed depictions. It is furtive. Victory over their oppressors is implied. But the main point is that those supposedly conquered should struggle against their oppressors. Most will and most will never give up the fight.
Aspects of The Moon is Down had a deja vu familiarity about them and then one particular scene jarred my memory and sent me back 30 years or more to a TV version of All Quiet on the Western Front. In it actor Richard Thomas (aka "John Boy") plays a German. I think in the early 80s he was trying to get away from his good-guy Waltons persona. Playing a soldier from an antagonistic army pushing himself on a woman from the conquered country would do it. Well anyway, the scene in question is not, to my recollection, from All Quiet..., but rather from this book. I hope Steinbeck got some credit.
Not sure what to expect from this lesser known work by Steinbeck, my first impression after a few pages was that I was in for a light comedy, a sort of Catch-22 anti-war declaration, apparently with silly citizens and gullible army officers acting out a daffy pre-"Hogan's Heroes" farce.
But then it turned serious and dark, and actually hopeful. There are small heroes, tiny victories. The struggle is not valiant. There are no action-packed depictions. It is furtive. Victory over their oppressors is implied. But the main point is that those supposedly conquered should struggle against their oppressors. Most will and most will never give up the fight.
Aspects of The Moon is Down had a deja vu familiarity about them and then one particular scene jarred my memory and sent me back 30 years or more to a TV version of All Quiet on the Western Front. In it actor Richard Thomas (aka "John Boy") plays a German. I think in the early 80s he was trying to get away from his good-guy Waltons persona. Playing a soldier from an antagonistic army pushing himself on a woman from the conquered country would do it. Well anyway, the scene in question is not, to my recollection, from All Quiet..., but rather from this book. I hope Steinbeck got some credit.
July 30, 2026
"By ten-forty-five it was all over." That first sentence had me. I knew I would read on. But I read and reread that opening. The power of it. The simplicity. The unexpectedness. I knew at once I was in capable hands. They took me and I yielded.
I am not easily seduced. Yet, Steinbeck won me at once. A war story which begins with silence not a bang? An opening which sounds like an ending? The time down to the minute is a foretaste of his skill. He never embellishes. He lays bare. He delivers. He is so good at it that you forget he is even there. He simply drops the reader into the scene of a town that is invaded.
What would you do? How would you act? Could you hold that pair of scissors as that woman did?
I am not easily seduced. Yet, Steinbeck won me at once. A war story which begins with silence not a bang? An opening which sounds like an ending? The time down to the minute is a foretaste of his skill. He never embellishes. He lays bare. He delivers. He is so good at it that you forget he is even there. He simply drops the reader into the scene of a town that is invaded.
What would you do? How would you act? Could you hold that pair of scissors as that woman did?
August 18, 2022
This was brilliant!
February 7, 2022
*بدون خطر لو رفتن داستان
کم کم داشتم نگران میشدم که نکنه سلیقهام عوض شده! یا چون سنام رفته بالا، دیگه هیچ کتابی به دلم نمیشینه، و داشتم میترسیدم از اینکه مدتها، از آخرین کتابی که پنج ستاره کامل بهش دادم میگذره!
همش با خودم کلنجار میرفتم که چرا انقدر عنق شدم! چرا نسبت به اکثر کتابها دید خوبی ندارم...
تا اینکه ماه پنهان است رو شروع کردم! و تازه اونجا بود که یادم اومد من جان اشتاین بک رو میپرستم!
اونجا بود که یادم اومد من عاشق کتابهای ضد جنگ و بخصوص جنگهای جهانی هستم.
اونجا بود که فهمیدم هنوز هم سلیقهام تغییری نکرده و این ترشرویی طولانی، فقط به این دلیله که این مدت کتاب خوبی دستم نگرفته بودم!
ماه پنهان است، یک رمان کوتاه ولی با ارزشه! اثریه که شاید در نگاه اول حس خوبی در مخاطب ایجاد نکنه، اما همون چند صفحه اولش کافیه تا هر خوانندهای بدونه که داره یک کتاب فاخر ضد جنگ میخونه!
در نقدهای قبلیام که برای کتاب موشها و آدمها، و همچنین برای کتاب خوشههای خشم نوشته بودم، قید کرده بودم که اشتاین بک، خدای توصیف کردنه! در این کتاب هم، کاملا میشه حس کرد که این توصیفات فقط از قلم اشتاین بک برمیاد!
صحنههای برفی و دنیای سرد و یخ زدهای که در بعضی از صفحات این کتاب به رشتهی تحریر دراومده، بهتر از دیدن چندین عکس و فیلم میتونن اون فضاها رو در ذهن خواننده ترسیم کنن!
زیبایی داستان، گیرایی قلم و ترجمه نسبتا خوب، همه و همه باعث شدن که بسیار زیاد از این کتاب لذت ببرم و اون رو بعنوان اولین کتاب پنج ستارهی سال 2022 ثبت کنم.
بیش باد!
این کتاب، قیمت و البته حجم زیادی نداره، پیشنهاد میکنم بخونیدش.
کم کم داشتم نگران میشدم که نکنه سلیقهام عوض شده! یا چون سنام رفته بالا، دیگه هیچ کتابی به دلم نمیشینه، و داشتم میترسیدم از اینکه مدتها، از آخرین کتابی که پنج ستاره کامل بهش دادم میگذره!
همش با خودم کلنجار میرفتم که چرا انقدر عنق شدم! چرا نسبت به اکثر کتابها دید خوبی ندارم...
تا اینکه ماه پنهان است رو شروع کردم! و تازه اونجا بود که یادم اومد من جان اشتاین بک رو میپرستم!
اونجا بود که یادم اومد من عاشق کتابهای ضد جنگ و بخصوص جنگهای جهانی هستم.
اونجا بود که فهمیدم هنوز هم سلیقهام تغییری نکرده و این ترشرویی طولانی، فقط به این دلیله که این مدت کتاب خوبی دستم نگرفته بودم!
ماه پنهان است، یک رمان کوتاه ولی با ارزشه! اثریه که شاید در نگاه اول حس خوبی در مخاطب ایجاد نکنه، اما همون چند صفحه اولش کافیه تا هر خوانندهای بدونه که داره یک کتاب فاخر ضد جنگ میخونه!
در نقدهای قبلیام که برای کتاب موشها و آدمها، و همچنین برای کتاب خوشههای خشم نوشته بودم، قید کرده بودم که اشتاین بک، خدای توصیف کردنه! در این کتاب هم، کاملا میشه حس کرد که این توصیفات فقط از قلم اشتاین بک برمیاد!
صحنههای برفی و دنیای سرد و یخ زدهای که در بعضی از صفحات این کتاب به رشتهی تحریر دراومده، بهتر از دیدن چندین عکس و فیلم میتونن اون فضاها رو در ذهن خواننده ترسیم کنن!
زیبایی داستان، گیرایی قلم و ترجمه نسبتا خوب، همه و همه باعث شدن که بسیار زیاد از این کتاب لذت ببرم و اون رو بعنوان اولین کتاب پنج ستارهی سال 2022 ثبت کنم.
بیش باد!
این کتاب، قیمت و البته حجم زیادی نداره، پیشنهاد میکنم بخونیدش.
May 5, 2023
This story, published in 1942, was a contribution by Steinbeck to the effort to mentally shore up the countries under invasion by Germany at that time. In a town, in a country that is almost without doubt meant to mirror Norway, a conquering invasion force is subjected to the unfaltering resistance of a free people.
The plot is fairly predictable, because we know how the Nazi’s operated during the war when met with resistance. The characters are more stereotypes than individuals, although Steinbeck does manage to make the invaders mostly humans rather than monsters. They are, in fact, soldiers following orders in a situation that they neither understand nor control.
At one point, one of the soldiers laughs hysterically and says “the flies have conquered the flypaper,” and this would pretty much sum up the purpose of the story. You may win the battle with sheer force, but the minds and hearts of free people will continue to fight until they have won the war.
Lucky for us all, Steinbeck was right.
The plot is fairly predictable, because we know how the Nazi’s operated during the war when met with resistance. The characters are more stereotypes than individuals, although Steinbeck does manage to make the invaders mostly humans rather than monsters. They are, in fact, soldiers following orders in a situation that they neither understand nor control.
At one point, one of the soldiers laughs hysterically and says “the flies have conquered the flypaper,” and this would pretty much sum up the purpose of the story. You may win the battle with sheer force, but the minds and hearts of free people will continue to fight until they have won the war.
Lucky for us all, Steinbeck was right.
July 6, 2015
في مغيب القمر رواية كتبها جون شتاينبك ونشرت عام 1942 أثناء الحرب العالمية الثانية
بلدة صغيرة يدخلها جيش الاحتلال لاستغلال مناجم الفحم الموجودة فيها, يحكي شتاينبك عن عمدة البلدة وأهلها البسطاء في مواجهة ومقاومة الاحتلال
ويصف حال جنود الاحتلال وما يدور في نفوسهم ما بين الشعور بالقوة والغرور, وبين العزلة والغربة ورغبتهم الشديدة بمرور الوقت للعودة لبلادهم وأهلهم
الأكيد انه ما في شعب مسالم إذا ما تعرض هذا الشعب لاحتلال أرضه وفقد حريته
هذه الرواية البسيطة كان لها أثر مشجع ومساند لسكان الدول التي احتلتها ألمانيا في الحرب العالمية الثانية
بلدة صغيرة يدخلها جيش الاحتلال لاستغلال مناجم الفحم الموجودة فيها, يحكي شتاينبك عن عمدة البلدة وأهلها البسطاء في مواجهة ومقاومة الاحتلال
ويصف حال جنود الاحتلال وما يدور في نفوسهم ما بين الشعور بالقوة والغرور, وبين العزلة والغربة ورغبتهم الشديدة بمرور الوقت للعودة لبلادهم وأهلهم
الأكيد انه ما في شعب مسالم إذا ما تعرض هذا الشعب لاحتلال أرضه وفقد حريته
هذه الرواية البسيطة كان لها أثر مشجع ومساند لسكان الدول التي احتلتها ألمانيا في الحرب العالمية الثانية
January 2, 2026
به نظرم این بهترین کتابیه که توی این روزها میشه خوند. مناسبِ خوندن برای همهی آدمهای این سرزمین با همهی حالات روحیه. چه روحیهی شجاعت و مقاومت خودتون رو حفظ کردید و چه حالِ بسیار تا بسیار گه و تخمی دارید، که فکر میکنم اکثراً همینطوری هستند
برای همینه که بعد از حدود یک ماه که از خوندنش گذشته، الان فکر میکنم کتاب شاهکاره
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- دستها بالا!
- نه
- چی؟
- گفتم نه
- چرا نه؟
- دلم نمیخواد
- ولی من اسلحه دارم
- به تخمم
- این که منطقی نیست!
- خیلی بد شد
از هفت روانی، نوشته و ساختهی مارتین مک دونا
برای همینه که بعد از حدود یک ماه که از خوندنش گذشته، الان فکر میکنم کتاب شاهکاره
خیال میکنند چون خودشان یک پیشوا و یک سر دارند، ما هم مثل آنان هستیم. میدانند که اگر سر ده نفر از خودشان بالای دار برود، نابود خواهند شد. اما ما مردمانی آزاد هستیم و به اندازهی جمعیت خود سر داریم و در موقع لزوم رهبرانی مثل قارچ در میانمان خواهند رویید
-------------
- دستها بالا!
- نه
- چی؟
- گفتم نه
- چرا نه؟
- دلم نمیخواد
- ولی من اسلحه دارم
- به تخمم
- این که منطقی نیست!
- خیلی بد شد
از هفت روانی، نوشته و ساختهی مارتین مک دونا
December 17, 2024
You’re a citizen in a small Scandinavian village that’s been occupied by Nazis. Morale is low. Tensions are high. Food is scarce. Resistance is close to futile. The long, lonely winter sets in. You see the effects that winter has on your occupiers.
You’re a Nazi soldier who has occupied a small Scandinavian mining village. You squashed the small initial resistance with a volley of machine-gun fire. You’ve asserted your presence and authority in the town. You’re in control. The winter is long and lonely in this small town though, and your mind starts to slip a little.
You’re the mayor of the occupied village. Your allegiance is to the people. You lead the resistance. Every death of a villager weighs heavily on your heart. Something must be done!
You’re the commanding officer of the Nazi occupiers. These people are the enemy. You’ll use all the necessary force you need to get the job done that you’ve been sent here to do. If only your men could hold it together.
Who else besides the great John Ernst Steinbeck could write such beautiful propaganda?
You’re a Nazi soldier who has occupied a small Scandinavian mining village. You squashed the small initial resistance with a volley of machine-gun fire. You’ve asserted your presence and authority in the town. You’re in control. The winter is long and lonely in this small town though, and your mind starts to slip a little.
You’re the mayor of the occupied village. Your allegiance is to the people. You lead the resistance. Every death of a villager weighs heavily on your heart. Something must be done!
You’re the commanding officer of the Nazi occupiers. These people are the enemy. You’ll use all the necessary force you need to get the job done that you’ve been sent here to do. If only your men could hold it together.
Who else besides the great John Ernst Steinbeck could write such beautiful propaganda?
May 20, 2023
A complex and powerful interplay of various emotions of anger, revenge, remorse, and loneliness, associated with the conquerors, the conquered, the traitors and the rebels, in case of an invasion. The backdrop of snow just added to the sombreness of the situation.
"The people don't like to be conquered, sir, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars. You will find that is so, sir."
I loved this intricately crafted story and the mesmerising prose. The author makes as setting an anonymous peace-loving country which is invaded unprovoked and suddenly by a powerful neighbour. In the initial days of the invasion the population of the town are confused and dazed, and they are in a dreamlike state. But then they start to understand the consequences of being conquered.
It not only highlights the psychology of those who have been conquered but those who are the soldiers carrying out the invasion. Because in many cases, these soldiers are pawns in the hands of the people in power, who call all the shots, not to say they are completely absolved of their doings in such situations. But like I said it is very complex, nuanced, and multi-faceted.
Thus it came about that the conquerors grew afraid of the conquered and their nerves wore thin and they shot at shadows in the night. The cold, sullen silence was with them always.
And the officers were a reflection of their men, more restrained because their training was more complete, more resourceful because they had more responsibility, but the same fears were a little deeper buried in them, the same longings were more tightly locked in their hearts. And they were under a double strain, for the conguered people watched them for mistakes and their own men watched them for weakness, so that their spirits were taut to the breaking-point. The conquerors were under a terrible spiritual siege and everyone knew, conquered and conquerors, what would happen when the first crack appeared.
Steinbeck adds humanity to the invaders. They are depicted as soldiers on duty obeying orders, who miss their country, their home, their family, but have a misguided view that may have been propagated by the people in power, that the invaded victims should accept them. That their dissent is unjustified. But among them is seasoned Colonel Lanser, who has seen wars and who knows the true picture. He is portrayed as a very practical man yet a man who requires our understanding.
Lanser had been in Belgium and France twenty years before and he tried not to think what he knew--that war is treachery and hatred, the muddling of incompetent generals, the torture and killing and sickness and tiredness, until at last it is over and nothing has changed except for new weariness and new hatreds. Lanser told himself he was a soldier, given orders to carry out. He was not expected to question or to think, but only to carry out orders; and he tried to put aside the sick memories of the other war and the certainty that this would be the same. This one will be different, he said to himself fifty times a day; this one will be very different.
I would highly recommend this impactful story by a fantastic author.
"The people don't like to be conquered, sir, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars. You will find that is so, sir."
I loved this intricately crafted story and the mesmerising prose. The author makes as setting an anonymous peace-loving country which is invaded unprovoked and suddenly by a powerful neighbour. In the initial days of the invasion the population of the town are confused and dazed, and they are in a dreamlike state. But then they start to understand the consequences of being conquered.
It not only highlights the psychology of those who have been conquered but those who are the soldiers carrying out the invasion. Because in many cases, these soldiers are pawns in the hands of the people in power, who call all the shots, not to say they are completely absolved of their doings in such situations. But like I said it is very complex, nuanced, and multi-faceted.
Thus it came about that the conquerors grew afraid of the conquered and their nerves wore thin and they shot at shadows in the night. The cold, sullen silence was with them always.
And the officers were a reflection of their men, more restrained because their training was more complete, more resourceful because they had more responsibility, but the same fears were a little deeper buried in them, the same longings were more tightly locked in their hearts. And they were under a double strain, for the conguered people watched them for mistakes and their own men watched them for weakness, so that their spirits were taut to the breaking-point. The conquerors were under a terrible spiritual siege and everyone knew, conquered and conquerors, what would happen when the first crack appeared.
Steinbeck adds humanity to the invaders. They are depicted as soldiers on duty obeying orders, who miss their country, their home, their family, but have a misguided view that may have been propagated by the people in power, that the invaded victims should accept them. That their dissent is unjustified. But among them is seasoned Colonel Lanser, who has seen wars and who knows the true picture. He is portrayed as a very practical man yet a man who requires our understanding.
Lanser had been in Belgium and France twenty years before and he tried not to think what he knew--that war is treachery and hatred, the muddling of incompetent generals, the torture and killing and sickness and tiredness, until at last it is over and nothing has changed except for new weariness and new hatreds. Lanser told himself he was a soldier, given orders to carry out. He was not expected to question or to think, but only to carry out orders; and he tried to put aside the sick memories of the other war and the certainty that this would be the same. This one will be different, he said to himself fifty times a day; this one will be very different.
I would highly recommend this impactful story by a fantastic author.
May 23, 2017
Ένα τάγμα στρατιωτών καταλαμβάνει την πόλη. Αντίσταση δεν προβάλλεται. Ο πληροφοριοδότης των κατακτητών – ευηπόληπτος δημότης - είχε φροντίσει να απομακρύνει τους ελάχιστους διαθέσιμους στρατιώτες. Η πόλις εάλω, λοιπόν. Απλά, ήσυχα, με λιγοστούς νεκρούς∙ και τα όποια διαθέσιμα όπλα παραδίδονται στους κατακτητές.
Πριν την πόλη είχε κατακτηθεί η χώρα και πριν τη χώρα η μισή υφήλιος. Ο κατακτητής δείχνει ανίκητος, αλλά δεν είναι. Οι φαντάροι σκέφτονται αδιάκοπα το σπίτι τους, σιχαίνονται τον τόπο που κατέκτησαν. Κι ο λαός με τη σειρά του σιχαίνεται τους φαντάρους. Και νιώθει μίσος γι’ αυτούς. Ένα μίσος που δυναμώνει, που είναι βαθιά στα μάτια του λαού, που φέρνει φόβο στην καρδιά και κάνει τους κατακτητές να φοβούνται τους κατακτημένους. «Και όλοι ήξεραν, καταχτημένοι και καταχτητές, τι θα συμβεί όταν θα εμφανιζότανε το πρώτο ράγισμα».
Ένα ψυχογράφημα είναι το βιβλίο αυτό του Στάινμπεκ, μια περιδίνηση στα τρίσβαθα του ανθρώπινου ψυχισμού. Ένας ύμνος στην ανθρωπιά κι ένα τραγούδι ελπίδας που εν έτει 1942 (όταν και πρωτοδημοσιεύτηκε το βιβλίο) δεν μπορεί να υποστηρίξει κανείς ότι περίσσευαν στον κόσμο.
Τέσσερα ολόλαμπρα αστέρια στο στερέωμα του ουρανού, πλάι σε ένα φεγγάρι που έχει ήδη πέσει και μια δικαιωμένη αίσθηση ότι ο Στάινμπεκ δεν θα με απογοητεύσει ποτέ.
Πριν την πόλη είχε κατακτηθεί η χώρα και πριν τη χώρα η μισή υφήλιος. Ο κατακτητής δείχνει ανίκητος, αλλά δεν είναι. Οι φαντάροι σκέφτονται αδιάκοπα το σπίτι τους, σιχαίνονται τον τόπο που κατέκτησαν. Κι ο λαός με τη σειρά του σιχαίνεται τους φαντάρους. Και νιώθει μίσος γι’ αυτούς. Ένα μίσος που δυναμώνει, που είναι βαθιά στα μάτια του λαού, που φέρνει φόβο στην καρδιά και κάνει τους κατακτητές να φοβούνται τους κατακτημένους. «Και όλοι ήξεραν, καταχτημένοι και καταχτητές, τι θα συμβεί όταν θα εμφανιζότανε το πρώτο ράγισμα».
Ένα ψυχογράφημα είναι το βιβλίο αυτό του Στάινμπεκ, μια περιδίνηση στα τρίσβαθα του ανθρώπινου ψυχισμού. Ένας ύμνος στην ανθρωπιά κι ένα τραγούδι ελπίδας που εν έτει 1942 (όταν και πρωτοδημοσιεύτηκε το βιβλίο) δεν μπορεί να υποστηρίξει κανείς ότι περίσσευαν στον κόσμο.
Τέσσερα ολόλαμπρα αστέρια στο στερέωμα του ουρανού, πλάι σε ένα φεγγάρι που έχει ήδη πέσει και μια δικαιωμένη αίσθηση ότι ο Στάινμπεκ δεν θα με απογοητεύσει ποτέ.
January 25, 2023
من راجع به آن ها هیچ نمیدانم، جز آنکه اسیرند و درست همین موضوع است که مرا ناراحت میکند. زندگیشان تار و مبهم و خالی و پوچ است. اگر آنها را بیشتر میشناختم، اسمشان را میدانستم، میدانستم چه زندگیای دارند، در انتظار چه هستند و چه دردی دارند، آنوقت احساسات من شکل میگرفت و شاید به ترحم و دلسوزی مبدل میشد. حالا آنچه از این عده میبینم، میفهمم رنج بشریت، عزای زندگی و بیرحمی انسانهاست. فرمانی نظامی، این انسان های ساکت و آرام را دشمن ما کرده است و فرمان دیگری میتواند آنها را دوست ما کند. بر سر میزی، چند نفر که ما آنها را نمیشناسیم، ورقهای امضا کردند و سالیان دراز آدمکشی و جنایت را برجستهترین شغل و هدف زندگی ما ساختند. همان جنایتی که همهی مردم دنیا محکومش میکردند و آن را مستحق شدیدترین مجازاتها میدانستند، ولی کیست که این انسانهای آرام و صورتهای بچهگانهی آنها را که ریشی همچون حواریون عیسی دارند، ببیند و کشتن آنها را جنایت نداند؟ هر گروهبانی در نظر سرباز و هر معلمی در نظر شاگرد، دشمنتر از اینها در نظر ما هستند. با این وصف، اگر اینها آزاد بودند، به طرف ما و ما به طرف آنها تیراندازی میکردیم و یکدیگر را میکشتیم.
در جبهه غرب خبری نیست از اریش ماریا رمارک
با اینکه فقط موشها و آدمها رو ازش خونده بودم، اما مطمئن بودم با خوندن بقیه آثارش جا پاش رو تو دلم محکم میکنه و تبدیل میشه به یکی از نویسنده های موردعلاقهم.
و خب این شما و این جان استاینبک. کسی که بلده چطور داستان بنویسه و روح شخصیتهاش رو عریان کنه. همونی که از توصیف طبیعت و جزئیات ساده غافل نمیشه و به نظرم بهترین پایانها رو میتونه رقم بزنه.
این بار من رو به دل یه سرزمین اشغالی برد. جایی که تا قبل از این اتفاق شوم، مردمش آزاد بودن و هیچ تصوری از جنگ و خونریزی نداشتن. و آروم آروم بهت نشون میده که چطور اون سرزمین، اون مردم مهربون و ساده، اون زندگیای که در جریان بود تحت تأثیر اشغالگرا قرار میگیره. دشمنانی که فکر میکنن ظلمشون پابرجا میمونه و قدرتی که دارن توان سرکوب و امر و نهی رو میتونه داشته باشه. صدالبته که داره! اما نه همیشه.
و خب طبق معمول همیشه، این داستان هم برام دور از ذهن نبود. تاریخی که تکرار میشه و هر بار فکر میکنیم این دفعه با دفعات قبل فرق میکنه. گرچه از نظرم هیچ تفاوتی ندارن. فقط اسامی عوض میشن.
این کتاب کمی من رو یاد داستان کوتاه رویای آدم مضحک از داستایفسکی انداخت. و تا حدودی کتاب در جبهه غرب خبری نیست. به این خاطر که تو هر دوی اینها شاهد هستیم که چطور دنیای اشغالگرها و مردم اسیر به هم شباهت دارن:)
دقیقا مثل کتاب قبلیای که ازش خوندم حجم داشت و میشه سریع خوندش. به نظرم اگر در این دوران خونده بشه، تلخیش خیلی خیلی کمتر از اونچه که میکشیم هست و بعضی بخش هاش حتی برام شوخی محسوب میشدن!
دربارهی ترجمه هم کمی اذیت شدم. مخصوصا سر زمان افعالی که مترجم انتخاب کرده بود.
مورد دیگهای به چشمم نخورد.
فقط اینکه خیلی سر موقع خوندنش دلم خواست یکی از این روزهایی که درش دست و پنجه نرم میکنیم بنویسه. طوری که خارجیا با خوندنش زیر لب بگن: این چطور میتونه رئال باشه؟ ماها اینا رو تو دستهی علمی_تخیلی قرار میدیم!
در جبهه غرب خبری نیست از اریش ماریا رمارک
با اینکه فقط موشها و آدمها رو ازش خونده بودم، اما مطمئن بودم با خوندن بقیه آثارش جا پاش رو تو دلم محکم میکنه و تبدیل میشه به یکی از نویسنده های موردعلاقهم.
و خب این شما و این جان استاینبک. کسی که بلده چطور داستان بنویسه و روح شخصیتهاش رو عریان کنه. همونی که از توصیف طبیعت و جزئیات ساده غافل نمیشه و به نظرم بهترین پایانها رو میتونه رقم بزنه.
این بار من رو به دل یه سرزمین اشغالی برد. جایی که تا قبل از این اتفاق شوم، مردمش آزاد بودن و هیچ تصوری از جنگ و خونریزی نداشتن. و آروم آروم بهت نشون میده که چطور اون سرزمین، اون مردم مهربون و ساده، اون زندگیای که در جریان بود تحت تأثیر اشغالگرا قرار میگیره. دشمنانی که فکر میکنن ظلمشون پابرجا میمونه و قدرتی که دارن توان سرکوب و امر و نهی رو میتونه داشته باشه. صدالبته که داره! اما نه همیشه.
و خب طبق معمول همیشه، این داستان هم برام دور از ذهن نبود. تاریخی که تکرار میشه و هر بار فکر میکنیم این دفعه با دفعات قبل فرق میکنه. گرچه از نظرم هیچ تفاوتی ندارن. فقط اسامی عوض میشن.
این کتاب کمی من رو یاد داستان کوتاه رویای آدم مضحک از داستایفسکی انداخت. و تا حدودی کتاب در جبهه غرب خبری نیست. به این خاطر که تو هر دوی اینها شاهد هستیم که چطور دنیای اشغالگرها و مردم اسیر به هم شباهت دارن:)
دقیقا مثل کتاب قبلیای که ازش خوندم حجم داشت و میشه سریع خوندش. به نظرم اگر در این دوران خونده بشه، تلخیش خیلی خیلی کمتر از اونچه که میکشیم هست و بعضی بخش هاش حتی برام شوخی محسوب میشدن!
دربارهی ترجمه هم کمی اذیت شدم. مخصوصا سر زمان افعالی که مترجم انتخاب کرده بود.
مورد دیگهای به چشمم نخورد.
فقط اینکه خیلی سر موقع خوندنش دلم خواست یکی از این روزهایی که درش دست و پنجه نرم میکنیم بنویسه. طوری که خارجیا با خوندنش زیر لب بگن: این چطور میتونه رئال باشه؟ ماها اینا رو تو دستهی علمی_تخیلی قرار میدیم!
August 19, 2012
Well before the United States entered World War II, John Steinbeck became involved in several government intelligence and information agencies because he wanted to fight fascism. By September 1941 Steinbeck decided that he would write a work of fiction using what he had learned from European refugees about the psychological effects of occupation on people living in countries which had come under Nazi control. This novella is the result. Set in a village in an unnamed country, it focuses on the experiences of the locals as they deal with occupation by the armed forces of another unnamed country. The text makes it clear that the occupier is meant to be Germany, and while the occupied land could be a number of European countries, it is very much like Norway. The narrative describes the arrival of the enemy soldiers, the reaction of the villagers to occupation and of the soldiers to the act of occupying, the involvement of a local collaborator and the population's growing determination to resist the enemy and fight for freedom.
Even though the work was specifically designed to be a piece of anti-Nazi propaganda, Steinbeck avoided stereotyping the invading soldiers. Instead, he showed them as human beings with differing attitudes to their role, missing home and their families and trying to justify their position to the locals. He was criticised for this. While many critics praised the work, some influential critics accused Steinbeck of being soft on the Nazis and suggested that the novella would demoralise victims of Nazi aggression in occupied Europe. Those particular critics were wrong. After the war, the King of Norway gave Steinbeck a medal in honour of the influence of the work in Norway and it later came to light that although the Nazis banned the book, it was translated, illegally printed and distributed throughout occupied western Europe. And not only in Europe: the book was also circulated in parts of China under Japanese occupation. If anything, by portraying the occupying soldiers as human beings and not as monsters, Steinbeck showed that they could be defeated.
The work has the feeling of a parable, almost of a fairy tale. It is heavy on dialogue and relatively light on description. In common with many short works, the characters are lightly sketched in rather than well-developed. As befits a work of propaganda, it is somewhat didactic in tone. Overall, it's fair to say that in terms of literary merit, this is far from Steinbeck's best work. However, the simplicity of the writing had a purpose. As I was reading, it struck me that the work would have been relatively straightforward to translate. To translate a work of literature generally requires background-speaker level fluency in the original language and the language into which the work is to be translated. However, the language in this work is relatively simple and the complexities of metaphor and idiom are avoided. Anyone reasonably competent in English could have translated the work with the assistance of a good dictionary. That Steinbeck could adapt his writing style to such an extent, while still producing elegant prose, is a testament to his skill.
Even though this is not Steinbeck's best work, it's still a thought-provoking read. It gets four stars for being a satisfying literary work and an additional star for being an interesting historical artifact.
February 19, 2012
By 10:45 it was all over. The town was occupied, the defenders defeated, and the war was finished.
Not quite. In Steinbeck's 1942 story of a small unnamed town invaded by an unnamed enemy, the war was far from finished.
The book begins with an almost farcical tone - the mayor needs to have his ear hairs trimmed before his meeting with the conquering colonel, the ratfink mole who's been informing on the townsfolk seems surprised that he should not continue to live amongst them, and one of the soldiers is bitten by the mayor's feisty cook. Because of the ease the invading army had in taking the town, the officers assume that the local citizens will fall into line and accept them as their new rulers. The mayor predicts that things will not be that easy. "The people are confused now. They have lived at peace so long that they do not quite believe in war. They will learn and then they will not be confused anymore."
Things turn ugly after an incident at the local mine, and the mayor's prediction comes true as the oppressed people begin to exact their revenge.
Steinbeck presents a unique look at life during wartime, and humankind's desire to be free.
Not quite. In Steinbeck's 1942 story of a small unnamed town invaded by an unnamed enemy, the war was far from finished.
The book begins with an almost farcical tone - the mayor needs to have his ear hairs trimmed before his meeting with the conquering colonel, the ratfink mole who's been informing on the townsfolk seems surprised that he should not continue to live amongst them, and one of the soldiers is bitten by the mayor's feisty cook. Because of the ease the invading army had in taking the town, the officers assume that the local citizens will fall into line and accept them as their new rulers. The mayor predicts that things will not be that easy. "The people are confused now. They have lived at peace so long that they do not quite believe in war. They will learn and then they will not be confused anymore."
Things turn ugly after an incident at the local mine, and the mayor's prediction comes true as the oppressed people begin to exact their revenge.
Steinbeck presents a unique look at life during wartime, and humankind's desire to be free.
July 7, 2018
كتابي درباره جنگ... توصيفات فوق العاده جان اشتاين بك طوري بود كه همه چيز مثل يك نمايشنامه از جلوي چشمت رد ميشد... با اينكه داستان رو خيلي ساده بيان كرده بود اما از همون اول، با شخصيتهاي شهر فتح شده، همذات پنداري ميكردي.. تا جايي كه انگار، خودت يكي از اونا هستي... تا حالا دو كتاب از اشتاين بك خوندم. موشها و آدمها و ماه پنهان است....و ازش خيلي راضي ام...
مالي گفت: مردم شهر ميگويند. سپس قامتش را كاملا راست كرد و با لحني آميخته به التماس و انتظار گفت آقا! شما كه چنين كاري نميكنيد، ميكنيد؟ اوردن گفت: چطور مردم خبر دارند و خودم بي اطلاعم؟ دكتر وينتر گفت: اين خودش راز بزرگي است. رازي كه همه فرمانروايان جهان را نگران كرده: مردم از كجا خبر دارند؟ طوري كه شنيده ام، خود اشغالگران هم نگرانند. چطور اخبار برغم اينهمه سانسور پخش ميشود و حقايق خود را از قيد و بندها رها ميكنند؟ راز بزرگي است...
مالي گفت: مردم شهر ميگويند. سپس قامتش را كاملا راست كرد و با لحني آميخته به التماس و انتظار گفت آقا! شما كه چنين كاري نميكنيد، ميكنيد؟ اوردن گفت: چطور مردم خبر دارند و خودم بي اطلاعم؟ دكتر وينتر گفت: اين خودش راز بزرگي است. رازي كه همه فرمانروايان جهان را نگران كرده: مردم از كجا خبر دارند؟ طوري كه شنيده ام، خود اشغالگران هم نگرانند. چطور اخبار برغم اينهمه سانسور پخش ميشود و حقايق خود را از قيد و بندها رها ميكنند؟ راز بزرگي است...
February 12, 2016
دوستانِ گرانقدر، این کتاب، از 182 صفحه تشکیل شده است و پیامِ اصلی داستان، نبرد برایِ پیروزی و مبارزه در راهِ آزادیست
داستانِ در موردِ مردمِ شهرِ « قصبه» و مبارزۀ آنها با اشغالگرانِ آلمانیست... « قصبه» دهکدۀ کوچکی در « نروژ» است... مردمانش بسیار آرام و صلح جو هستند و تنها 12 نفر نیرویِ مسلح و قوایِ محلی دارند که در همان لحظاتِ اولیۀ حملۀ آلمان ها تار و مار شدند
عزیزانم، برخلافِ مردمِ میهن پرست و شجاعِ « قصبه»، نخست وزیرِ پست و میهن فروشِ « نروژ» کشورش را دو دستی تقدیم به آلمان ها و هیتلر میکند، اما مردمِ « قصبه» زیرِ بارِ این خفت نرفته و به رهبریِ شهردارِ پیر و فلسفه دوستِ شهرشان « اوردن»، دست به دستِ یکدیگر داده و با راهنمایی هایِ « اوردن» در برابرِ آلمانها مقاوت کردند و جنگیدند
یکی از نکاتِ جالب در این داستان برایم این بود که « اشتاین بک» ساعت هایِ دقیقِ وقوعِ حوادث و رویداد ها را اعلام میکرد... به عنوانِ مثال: ساعتِ ده و سی و هشت دقیقه، 6 سربازِ کشته شده به خاک سپرده شدند
دوستانِ خردگرا، این داستانِ زیبا، من را به یادِ خیانتِ « سلمان فارسی» حرام زاده، یا همان « روزبه» میهن فروش انداخت که با اعرابِ کثیف و غارتگر همدست بود و برعلیهِ سرزمینِ پاکمان اقدام کرد... و مقاومتِ مردمِ « قصبه» برایم رشادت ها و دلاوری هایِ زنان و مردانِ مظلوم و بی آزارِ سرزمینِ عزیزم « ایران» را یادآوری نمود
شهردارِ قصبه، « اوردن» گفت: تنها کارِ غیرِ ممکن در دنیا، در هم شکستنِ روحِ انسان به نحوِ دائمی است
یادِ تمامی انسانهایِ آزاده و میهن پرستِ سرزمینمان « ایران» همیشه گرامی باد
پیروز باشید و ایرانی
داستانِ در موردِ مردمِ شهرِ « قصبه» و مبارزۀ آنها با اشغالگرانِ آلمانیست... « قصبه» دهکدۀ کوچکی در « نروژ» است... مردمانش بسیار آرام و صلح جو هستند و تنها 12 نفر نیرویِ مسلح و قوایِ محلی دارند که در همان لحظاتِ اولیۀ حملۀ آلمان ها تار و مار شدند
عزیزانم، برخلافِ مردمِ میهن پرست و شجاعِ « قصبه»، نخست وزیرِ پست و میهن فروشِ « نروژ» کشورش را دو دستی تقدیم به آلمان ها و هیتلر میکند، اما مردمِ « قصبه» زیرِ بارِ این خفت نرفته و به رهبریِ شهردارِ پیر و فلسفه دوستِ شهرشان « اوردن»، دست به دستِ یکدیگر داده و با راهنمایی هایِ « اوردن» در برابرِ آلمانها مقاوت کردند و جنگیدند
یکی از نکاتِ جالب در این داستان برایم این بود که « اشتاین بک» ساعت هایِ دقیقِ وقوعِ حوادث و رویداد ها را اعلام میکرد... به عنوانِ مثال: ساعتِ ده و سی و هشت دقیقه، 6 سربازِ کشته شده به خاک سپرده شدند
دوستانِ خردگرا، این داستانِ زیبا، من را به یادِ خیانتِ « سلمان فارسی» حرام زاده، یا همان « روزبه» میهن فروش انداخت که با اعرابِ کثیف و غارتگر همدست بود و برعلیهِ سرزمینِ پاکمان اقدام کرد... و مقاومتِ مردمِ « قصبه» برایم رشادت ها و دلاوری هایِ زنان و مردانِ مظلوم و بی آزارِ سرزمینِ عزیزم « ایران» را یادآوری نمود
شهردارِ قصبه، « اوردن» گفت: تنها کارِ غیرِ ممکن در دنیا، در هم شکستنِ روحِ انسان به نحوِ دائمی است
یادِ تمامی انسانهایِ آزاده و میهن پرستِ سرزمینمان « ایران» همیشه گرامی باد
پیروز باشید و ایرانی
March 12, 2025
5 stars for this classic story of resistance to fascists, which I added after hearing Tom Morello from "Rage Against the Machine" talking about it on the his radio show. For a novella, Steinbeck really packs quite a punch and this one should be more widely read. The villagers show amazing courage and resilience, and the ending was 👩🏻🍳💋. This was a good day to read this!
February 7, 2025
Read this beautiful book!
5/5
5/5
June 11, 2020
کتاب ماه پنهان است را شاید بتوان اثری در ستایش مقاومت دانست ، مقاومت و جنبش های مقاومتی که در دوران جنگ جهانی دوم در اروپا شکل گرفتند ، از هر گروه و طبقه جامعه ، کارگر ، معلم ، پزشک و پرستار با دیدگاه های مختلف به هم پیوستند و بر ضد اشغالگران با هم متحد شدند و شروع به خرابکاری کردند در راه آهن ها ، مخابرات ، بنادر ، جاده ها و معادن و هر جای دیگر که ممکن بود .
کتاب به شکل خلاصه تبدیل شدن مردمی آرام و صلح طلب به پارتیزان و چریک و خرابکار را شرح می دهد و از طرف دیگر هم روحیه متزلزل سربازان و افسران اشغالگر را بیان می کند ، این که دو طرف جنگ چگونه به تدریج از هم متنفر می شوند و کشتن و کشته شدن تبدیل به امری عادی می شود .
نکته ای دیگر که اشتاین بک بیان می کند نبود رهبری واحد در جوامع دموکراتیک است ، در حالی که کشورهای توتالیتر دور یک نفر مانند پیشوا یا دوچه جمع می شوند و اگر او نباشد سرنوشت کشور متفاوت خواهد بود ، اما در کشورهای دموکراتیک فرد شاخصی وجود ندارد ، پیشوایی هم وجود ندارد ، این مطلب را نویسنده به زیبایی از طرف شهردار شهر می گوید :
ما مردمی آزادیم , به تعداد جمعیت مان پیشوا و سر داریم و در مواقع احتیاج رهبران واقعی مانند قارچ میانمان می رویند.
کتاب به شکل خلاصه تبدیل شدن مردمی آرام و صلح طلب به پارتیزان و چریک و خرابکار را شرح می دهد و از طرف دیگر هم روحیه متزلزل سربازان و افسران اشغالگر را بیان می کند ، این که دو طرف جنگ چگونه به تدریج از هم متنفر می شوند و کشتن و کشته شدن تبدیل به امری عادی می شود .
نکته ای دیگر که اشتاین بک بیان می کند نبود رهبری واحد در جوامع دموکراتیک است ، در حالی که کشورهای توتالیتر دور یک نفر مانند پیشوا یا دوچه جمع می شوند و اگر او نباشد سرنوشت کشور متفاوت خواهد بود ، اما در کشورهای دموکراتیک فرد شاخصی وجود ندارد ، پیشوایی هم وجود ندارد ، این مطلب را نویسنده به زیبایی از طرف شهردار شهر می گوید :
ما مردمی آزادیم , به تعداد جمعیت مان پیشوا و سر داریم و در مواقع احتیاج رهبران واقعی مانند قارچ میانمان می رویند.
September 22, 2021
Мислех си, че Стайнбек е автор изключително вглъбен в своята Америка, но това се оказа невярно!
В "Луната залезе", той обръща поглед към текущите тогава събития в Европа, към черните времена тревожещи всеки нормален съвременник на този ужасен конфликт, наречен ВСВ.
Лесно се разпознават безименната страна и хората ѝ, а майсторството на писателя завършва една правдива фреска, без да пропуска или да украсява ненужно реалностите на войната.
Чудесен и кратък антивоенен роман и си струва да му се отдели време!
Цитат:
"Хората със стадно чувство печелят битките, а свободните хора печелят войните."
P.S. Книгата изведнъж стана много злободневна, отново фашистка агресия разяжда света ни! Надявам се, Украйна да успее да унищожи до крак руските нашественици!
В "Луната залезе", той обръща поглед към текущите тогава събития в Европа, към черните времена тревожещи всеки нормален съвременник на този ужасен конфликт, наречен ВСВ.
Лесно се разпознават безименната страна и хората ѝ, а майсторството на писателя завършва една правдива фреска, без да пропуска или да украсява ненужно реалностите на войната.
Чудесен и кратък антивоенен роман и си струва да му се отдели време!
Цитат:
"Хората със стадно чувство печелят битките, а свободните хора печелят войните."
P.S. Книгата изведнъж стана много злободневна, отново фашистка агресия разяжда света ни! Надявам се, Украйна да успее да унищожи до крак руските нашественици!
April 19, 2026
“... Do you remember Socrates says, “Someone will say, ‘And are you not ashamed, Socrates, of a course of life which is likely to bring you to an untimely end?’ To him I may fairly answer, ‘There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether he is doing right or wrong.’”
আচমকা শত্রুবাহিনী দ্বারা বেষ্টিত এক জনপদের জনগণের নীরবে জাগ্রত প্রতিক্রিয়া। বিজয়ীরা হলো সবাই মিলে একটি মাথা। যেখানে বিজিতদের প্রত্যেকটি স্বতন্ত্র মাথা। প্রয়োজনে একটি থেকে আরো অনেক গজাতে পারে। তাহলে আসল বিজয়ী কারা হলো...বলা সম্ভব কি? তাছাড়া শত্রুদের পথ দেখালটা কে? উত্তর– সিঁধচোরের আগে ঘরের ইঁদুরেই বেড়া কাটে।
এই বইয়ের নামকরণে সূক্ষ্ম এক সাহিত্যিক ইঙ্গিত আছে; শেক্সপিয়ারের ম্যাকবেথ-এর সংলাপ-প্রভাবিত। রাতের অন্ধকারে যখন ডানকানকে হত্যা করা হবে। আসন্ন সেই বিপর্যয়তার প্রকাশ ঘটে এভাবে—
Banquo : How goes the night, boy?
Fleance : The moon is down. I have not heard the clock.
নাৎসি বাহিনীর বর্বরতায় এক শহরে সেরকম বিপন্নতা ও স্থবিরতা সম্পর্কেই যেন নামের মাধ্যমে আগাম ধারণা দেওয়া হয়েছে। মৃত্যু ঝুঁকি ও নৈতিক মূল্যের দাড়িপাল্লায় প্রতিনিয়ত বিবেক ও আবেগের পরীক্ষা চলে। কেউ আপস করে, কেউ শেষ নিঃশ্বাস পর্যন্ত মানবতার পক্ষে থাকে। ভয় আর অবরুদ্ধতায়ও কিছু মানুষ থাকে, যাদের জন্য আশার শেষ রেখাটা মুছে যায় না।
কালজয়ী। বইয়ে দেখানো অন্যায়ভাবে অন্যদেশের খনিজের জন্য চালানো আগ্রাসন বর্তমানে তেল ও তৃতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের মধ্যকার প্রশ্নকে প্রকটভাবে সামনে আনে।
আচমকা শত্রুবাহিনী দ্বারা বেষ্টিত এক জনপদের জনগণের নীরবে জাগ্রত প্রতিক্রিয়া। বিজয়ীরা হলো সবাই মিলে একটি মাথা। যেখানে বিজিতদের প্রত্যেকটি স্বতন্ত্র মাথা। প্রয়োজনে একটি থেকে আরো অনেক গজাতে পারে। তাহলে আসল বিজয়ী কারা হলো...বলা সম্ভব কি? তাছাড়া শত্রুদের পথ দেখালটা কে? উত্তর– সিঁধচোরের আগে ঘরের ইঁদুরেই বেড়া কাটে।
এই বইয়ের নামকরণে সূক্ষ্ম এক সাহিত্যিক ইঙ্গিত আছে; শেক্সপিয়ারের ম্যাকবেথ-এর সংলাপ-প্রভাবিত। রাতের অন্ধকারে যখন ডানকানকে হত্যা করা হবে। আসন্ন সেই বিপর্যয়তার প্রকাশ ঘটে এভাবে—
Banquo : How goes the night, boy?
Fleance : The moon is down. I have not heard the clock.
নাৎসি বাহিনীর বর্বরতায় এক শহরে সেরকম বিপন্নতা ও স্থবিরতা সম্পর্কেই যেন নামের মাধ্যমে আগাম ধারণা দেওয়া হয়েছে। মৃত্যু ঝুঁকি ও নৈতিক মূল্যের দাড়িপাল্লায় প্রতিনিয়ত বিবেক ও আবেগের পরীক্ষা চলে। কেউ আপস করে, কেউ শেষ নিঃশ্বাস পর্যন্ত মানবতার পক্ষে থাকে। ভয় আর অবরুদ্ধতায়ও কিছু মানুষ থাকে, যাদের জন্য আশার শেষ রেখাটা মুছে যায় না।
কালজয়ী। বইয়ে দেখানো অন্যায়ভাবে অন্যদেশের খনিজের জন্য চালানো আগ্রাসন বর্তমানে তেল ও তৃতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের মধ্যকার প্রশ্নকে প্রকটভাবে সামনে আনে।
April 26, 2024
“All invaded people want to resist”--The Moon is Down
The Moon is Down (1942) is a short political allegory definitely written with Nazi Germany in mind. Maybe specifically written with the takeover of one particular country such as Norway, but you know, so many countries were invaded and occupied by the Nazis, so the point is allegorical, really. The book is about resilience and civil resistance. And so many countries are being invaded now, for various purposes, colonizing.
The focus is on one mining town that the invaders initially really like--Cute! Sleepy town! Nice people! Resources to steal!--but who over time feel these invaders feel unwanted, disliked, even hated by the invaded townspeople. Imagine! The invaders are meant to seem naive. The takeover was easy, with the help of an inside collaborator. The resistance is led by the mayor, who talks with the invading leader periodically:
“The one impossible job is to break a man’s spirit permanently.”
This novella was clandestinely printed in or smuggled into multiple occupied countries by 1944, inspiring the will to resist across Europe.
“The flies have captured the flypaper.”
Immediately before encountering Macbeth on his way to kill the sleeping king, Banquo asks Fleance how his night is going, and Fleance responds by saying, “The moon is down; I have not heard the clock.” When the moon is down it is dark, and darkness in Macbeth connotes evil.
I read this because I was reminded of it by a friend here. And because I have read Patrick Modiano’s novels about the Occupation, and so many WWII novels. I thought while reading it of Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee, that explores the psycho/sexual/political effects of colonialism--of actual invaders, such as in South Africa, but also of any man in a position of power over a woman in that colonized country. Some of these books about occupation explore the possibility of romance between an “occupied” woman and an “occupying" man, which almost never seems to be successful, maybe for obvious reasons.
See Irene Nemirovsky’s Suite Francaise, and another French novel of the resistance, The Silence of the Sea, too, for occupation stories.
Oh, and just maybe, you might read this with Ukraine in mind? Or Venezuala? Cuba? Or any of the countries in the Middle East targeted for takeover?
The Moon is Down (1942) is a short political allegory definitely written with Nazi Germany in mind. Maybe specifically written with the takeover of one particular country such as Norway, but you know, so many countries were invaded and occupied by the Nazis, so the point is allegorical, really. The book is about resilience and civil resistance. And so many countries are being invaded now, for various purposes, colonizing.
The focus is on one mining town that the invaders initially really like--Cute! Sleepy town! Nice people! Resources to steal!--but who over time feel these invaders feel unwanted, disliked, even hated by the invaded townspeople. Imagine! The invaders are meant to seem naive. The takeover was easy, with the help of an inside collaborator. The resistance is led by the mayor, who talks with the invading leader periodically:
“The one impossible job is to break a man’s spirit permanently.”
This novella was clandestinely printed in or smuggled into multiple occupied countries by 1944, inspiring the will to resist across Europe.
“The flies have captured the flypaper.”
Immediately before encountering Macbeth on his way to kill the sleeping king, Banquo asks Fleance how his night is going, and Fleance responds by saying, “The moon is down; I have not heard the clock.” When the moon is down it is dark, and darkness in Macbeth connotes evil.
I read this because I was reminded of it by a friend here. And because I have read Patrick Modiano’s novels about the Occupation, and so many WWII novels. I thought while reading it of Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee, that explores the psycho/sexual/political effects of colonialism--of actual invaders, such as in South Africa, but also of any man in a position of power over a woman in that colonized country. Some of these books about occupation explore the possibility of romance between an “occupied” woman and an “occupying" man, which almost never seems to be successful, maybe for obvious reasons.
See Irene Nemirovsky’s Suite Francaise, and another French novel of the resistance, The Silence of the Sea, too, for occupation stories.
Oh, and just maybe, you might read this with Ukraine in mind? Or Venezuala? Cuba? Or any of the countries in the Middle East targeted for takeover?
April 9, 2019
عالی بود. ترجمه هم خوب بود. ولی فکر می کنم یه ترجمه امروزی ازش بکنند هم خوب باشه. نمیدونم باز ترجمه شده یا نه.
February 14, 2021
بعد از "موشها و آدمها" این دومین کتابیه که از جان استاین(اشتاین، حالا هرچی)بک خوندم و فکر میکنم دیگه یکی از نویسندههای محبوبم شد. استاین بک، خدای پایانبندیه. جوری که وقتی میرسی به صفحهی آخر با خودت میگی: پشمام! بهتر از اینم مگه میشد تمومش کرد؟
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