Schwarz-Bart, André
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
(1928-2006) French author, married to Simone Schwarz-Bart; his parents were murdered by the Nazis in World War Two, and he subsequently joined the Resistance; his writing career was dominated by these experiences, his most famous novel being Le Dernier des Justes (1959; trans Stephen Becker as The Last of the Just 1960), a fantasy following over eight centuries the lives of the "Just Men" of one family, these being designated humans whose existence justifies God's sufferance. The last of these just men is executed at Auschwitz (see Holocaust Fiction). Of some sf interest is L'étoile du matin (2009; trans Julie Rose as The Morning Star 2011), a Mainstream Writer of SF tale of life in Poland during the War, as recounted by an observer who has arrived by Time Travel from the Ruined Earth of year 3000 CE, having returned from interstellar space in an attempt to understand the history and fate of Homo sapiens. Her experiences are horrendous; but, as the title indicates, hope dawns. [JC]
André Schwarz-Bart
born Metz, Moselle, France: 28 May 1928
died Pointe-á-Pitre, Guadeloupe: 30 September 2006
works
- Le Dernier des Justes (Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1959) [binding unknown/]
- The Last of the Just (New York: Atheneum, 1960) [trans by Stephen Becker of the above: hb/George Salter]
- L'étoile du matin (Paris: Editions du Seuil, 2009) [binding unknown/]
- The Morning Star (Woodstock, New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2011) [trans by Julie Rose of the above: hb/Stefan Binnewies]
links
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