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Memoirs Of A Secret Agent Of Free France V1: The Silent Company June 1940 To June 1942
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
440 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2013
It is a mystery to me why people keep on waiting for the most recent spy/war novel to come out, when books like this one are around.
Written by one of the most impressive secret agents to have operated in France during WWII, this jewel of a book would still be a fantastic read -- undoubtedly one of the best war/spy novels ever written -- if it were fiction. To know that it is an account of actual facts, real action and dialogue by real people, just makes it doubly spell-binding.
What I particularly admire:
- The fast pace and the excruciating suspense (it is a page-turner, and as you get to the end of one volume, you just have to rush to the next -- I am referring here to the French 3-volume edition);
- The humor, which often veers into total farce (among my favorite stories: the agent who "helps" out an unknown young boy who was struggling to take a massive and heavy suitcase out of the train station -- that way the boy ends up carrying the man's briefcase, which contains an illegal radio set; then, once they're out of the station after having almost been searched, the man thanks the boy, who unblinkingly thanks him in return, explaining that the heavy suitcase was full of grenades and automatic weapons);
- The sense of being totally immersed in Remy's world, with his fears, his joys, his quick thinking, and his immense love for France.
- The arresting courage of the thousands of men and women who put their lives in danger and often paid with their lives so that their country could be free again.
I am not sure if the English edition is still easy to find. One can easily find second-hand copies in French, in good condition. What I am certain of, on the other hand, is that if re-released now as the latest spy/war novel by a new, virtuoso writer, it would sell like hot cakes.
Written by one of the most impressive secret agents to have operated in France during WWII, this jewel of a book would still be a fantastic read -- undoubtedly one of the best war/spy novels ever written -- if it were fiction. To know that it is an account of actual facts, real action and dialogue by real people, just makes it doubly spell-binding.
What I particularly admire:
- The fast pace and the excruciating suspense (it is a page-turner, and as you get to the end of one volume, you just have to rush to the next -- I am referring here to the French 3-volume edition);
- The humor, which often veers into total farce (among my favorite stories: the agent who "helps" out an unknown young boy who was struggling to take a massive and heavy suitcase out of the train station -- that way the boy ends up carrying the man's briefcase, which contains an illegal radio set; then, once they're out of the station after having almost been searched, the man thanks the boy, who unblinkingly thanks him in return, explaining that the heavy suitcase was full of grenades and automatic weapons);
- The sense of being totally immersed in Remy's world, with his fears, his joys, his quick thinking, and his immense love for France.
- The arresting courage of the thousands of men and women who put their lives in danger and often paid with their lives so that their country could be free again.
I am not sure if the English edition is still easy to find. One can easily find second-hand copies in French, in good condition. What I am certain of, on the other hand, is that if re-released now as the latest spy/war novel by a new, virtuoso writer, it would sell like hot cakes.
February 7, 2009
How does one explain the breadth of French collaboration with Germany in World War II or the strength of the microscopic French resistance movement?
In the introduction to Memoirs, Maurice Schumann contrasts the French and German conception of happiness during the war:
When a Frenchman dreams of happiness, he recalls familiar family scenes, a little plot of good fertile earth, the bouquet of newly opened wine, the laugh of a child, the dust of an old book, even a good fishing rod. When a German pictures happiness, he immediately sees himself in the ranks of a powerful battalion, captivated by the doleful notes of a martial tune, marching toward an unknown conquest.
Toward the end of Memoirs, Remy notes that it was only at the end of 1943, when the French Vichy regime became the "press gang of the Nazi war machine" that "the people of France felt directly menaced."
In the pages between, Remy employs repetitive sequences of derring-do to describe the interconnected activities of his Free-France intelligence agents, their allies and the dangers they face. Using terse, concrete language, he eloquently conveys the feeling of mutual confidence and spiritual strength which bind together individuals facing a common enemy. The effect is cumulative and full-blown, delivered with extraordinary coolness.
Remy's character throughout does not materially change. Doubt is not an option. In Memoirs uncertainty is transformed into certainty and externalized. Published in 1948 by Gilbert Renault-Roulier (a.k.a. Remy), the end is already known.
I recommend this book for anyone thinking about forming an intelligence network of their own.
In the introduction to Memoirs, Maurice Schumann contrasts the French and German conception of happiness during the war:
When a Frenchman dreams of happiness, he recalls familiar family scenes, a little plot of good fertile earth, the bouquet of newly opened wine, the laugh of a child, the dust of an old book, even a good fishing rod. When a German pictures happiness, he immediately sees himself in the ranks of a powerful battalion, captivated by the doleful notes of a martial tune, marching toward an unknown conquest.
Toward the end of Memoirs, Remy notes that it was only at the end of 1943, when the French Vichy regime became the "press gang of the Nazi war machine" that "the people of France felt directly menaced."
In the pages between, Remy employs repetitive sequences of derring-do to describe the interconnected activities of his Free-France intelligence agents, their allies and the dangers they face. Using terse, concrete language, he eloquently conveys the feeling of mutual confidence and spiritual strength which bind together individuals facing a common enemy. The effect is cumulative and full-blown, delivered with extraordinary coolness.
Remy's character throughout does not materially change. Doubt is not an option. In Memoirs uncertainty is transformed into certainty and externalized. Published in 1948 by Gilbert Renault-Roulier (a.k.a. Remy), the end is already known.
I recommend this book for anyone thinking about forming an intelligence network of their own.
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