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Malevil
by
Robert Merle
Une guerre atomique dévaste la planète, et dans la France détruite un groupe de survivants s'organise en communauté sédentaire derrière les remparts d'une forteresse. Le groupe arrivera-t-il à surmonter les dangers qui naissent chaque jour de sa situation, de l'indiscipline de ses membres, de leurs différences idéologiques, et surtout des bandes armées qui convoitent leurs...more
Paperback, 640 pages
Published
March 3rd 1983
by Gallimard
(first published 1972)
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I had heard a lot of things about this book prior to reading it. It is considered one of the better 'post apocalyptic' novels out there (by some). So that leads me to a conclusion that those people don't know what they are talking about.
For me, this book was ok. I couldn't suspend my disbelief towards the author's treatment of events that took place in the aftermath of a major nuclear war. Once the bomb strikes, the characters switch to a medieval lifestyle just like that. Most of the things sur...more
For me, this book was ok. I couldn't suspend my disbelief towards the author's treatment of events that took place in the aftermath of a major nuclear war. Once the bomb strikes, the characters switch to a medieval lifestyle just like that. Most of the things sur...more
Další zástupce mého oblíbeného žánru, tedy antiutopie a lidstva na konečné stanici. A rozhodně ne špatný.
Merle ve své knize nehýří žádnými velkými myšlenkami (a proč taky, od toho jsou tu v tomhle žánru Čapek a Orwell), zato jeho Malevil slouží jako velice snadno uvěřitelný model "toho", co by "mohlo" být, pokud se "něco" stane.
Po celou dobu čtení si nejde nevšimnout, jakou váhu autor přikládá mezilidským vztahům. Jistě, Merle nemůže neřešit i otázku čistě fyzického přežití (jídlo, bezpečí), ale...more
Merle ve své knize nehýří žádnými velkými myšlenkami (a proč taky, od toho jsou tu v tomhle žánru Čapek a Orwell), zato jeho Malevil slouží jako velice snadno uvěřitelný model "toho", co by "mohlo" být, pokud se "něco" stane.
Po celou dobu čtení si nejde nevšimnout, jakou váhu autor přikládá mezilidským vztahům. Jistě, Merle nemůže neřešit i otázku čistě fyzického přežití (jídlo, bezpečí), ale...more
This was a good read, though rather puzzling in parts, particularly because it was never clear why the narrator was writing or who he thought he was writing for. I found it amusing that the characters carried on behaving like French peasants even after nuclear holocaust -lots of talk about wine and lunch and who should be mayor or priest and who is a Communist/Catholic/atheist/socialist - issues which you would have thought would be redundant after the bulk of the world's population has been wip...more
Post-apocalyptic novels are really studies in human nature and provoke introspection. When society crumbles and man is reduced to nothing, does his nature change? Does he continue to hold on to values of decency, or is it necessary to revert to a bestial state in order to survive? This is the essence of what fascinates readers about PA novels. Malevil makes us ponder these things. The cast of characters are everyday people, easy to relate with. The setting, an old castle in the French countrysid...more
I love these post end of the world stories in this case nuclear war,
and this one is a good read. As the blurb notes, takes place in
countryside France in an old castle, that once again comes in handy
for its original purpose.
I think a story of this nature is successful if it gets you
wondering what would you do in a situation with the now limited
resources on hand and problems, the bady guys, encountered.
Also, an interesting theme among the genre is how religion is dealt
with in the new world.
A few...more
and this one is a good read. As the blurb notes, takes place in
countryside France in an old castle, that once again comes in handy
for its original purpose.
I think a story of this nature is successful if it gets you
wondering what would you do in a situation with the now limited
resources on hand and problems, the bady guys, encountered.
Also, an interesting theme among the genre is how religion is dealt
with in the new world.
A few...more
Malevil by Robert Merle
Written 1972 and translated from the original French in 1973.
Although written in the early 70's, there is nothing dated about this tale of survival under the worst conditions possible visited on the planet. Most are familiar with this sort of novel. Odd pockets of civilization survive the ultimate destruction. A battle that gives no warning, no vibes at all. There were no preparations to make, because Who Knew?, which is probably the most..."democratic" way to begin. With...more
Written 1972 and translated from the original French in 1973.
Although written in the early 70's, there is nothing dated about this tale of survival under the worst conditions possible visited on the planet. Most are familiar with this sort of novel. Odd pockets of civilization survive the ultimate destruction. A battle that gives no warning, no vibes at all. There were no preparations to make, because Who Knew?, which is probably the most..."democratic" way to begin. With...more
I love this book, and have read it at least three times. It really makes you think about what life would be like if you were one of the few to survive the apocalypse. It was written in the 1970s and is sexist, but the storyline is very interesting! Unfortunately this book is now out of print (and I'm not giving up my copy!).
Il faut croire que Robert Merle est mon auteur préféré, tant j'ai aimé ce livre.
Il reprend la même structure que l'île avec cette fois ci à la place d'une mutinerie, un cataclysme nucléaire qui pousse un groupe de personnes à vivre en autarcie et à renouer avec la nature.
Ce retour à l'homme primitif ou plutôt à l'homme médiéval nous est narré à travers les notes d'Emmanuel Comte, le propriétaire du château de Malevil. Et chose peu ordinaire dans les romans ces notes sont augmentées et corrigée...more
Il reprend la même structure que l'île avec cette fois ci à la place d'une mutinerie, un cataclysme nucléaire qui pousse un groupe de personnes à vivre en autarcie et à renouer avec la nature.
Ce retour à l'homme primitif ou plutôt à l'homme médiéval nous est narré à travers les notes d'Emmanuel Comte, le propriétaire du château de Malevil. Et chose peu ordinaire dans les romans ces notes sont augmentées et corrigée...more
Tahle knížka není špatná. Co se týká té technické stránky, tak to měl autor celkem dobře promyšlený, jen k čemu mi to je, když to nemá žádnej feeling, je to hovno temný a celá knížka by se dala přenýst do spousty situací. Nemuselo by to být nutně postapo... + psychologie postav se mi nezdála úplně přesvědčivá. Nicméně chápu, proč tolik lidí tuhle knížku zbožňuje...
A classic I had heard about long ago I finally got to read and was not disappointed. An end-of-the-world story set in the 1970's that reads as well today as it did then, I'm sure. Emmanuel owns a castle where he is entertaining friends when the world is thrust into a nuclear war and the castle's' walls are their saving grace. The positions that the survivors assume in order to establish a degree of civility is poignant and realistic. The eventual discovery of a few other s leads to the heart of...more
Jul 29, 2011
Anita
added it
Evokes some serious thinking about the world we live in. One of my Bibles :)
Sep 22, 2007
Telesilla
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who likes post-apocalyptic fiction
Shelves:
post-apocalyptic
A very interesting look at what happens when a group of friends survive a nuclear war by virtue of being in the wine cellar of the French castle one of them owns. For me, the whole story is really about the cult of personality as we watch the castle's owner, Emmanuel, become both feudal lord and parish priest. It's also a perfect example of the unreliable narrative, as the story is largely told in first-person by Emmanuel himself, with notes added by one of the other survivors after his death.
Who doesn't want to be like Emanuel Comte? :) Some parts of this story were really exciting, but sometimes you can easily predict what you will find on next page and that's the shame, because whole story is very interesting. Doesn't matter too much, this book is worth-reading for anyone who want's to try disturing feeling of world near to it's end and people trying to survive. Maybe I will try another Merle's book in the future (hope I manage to start it before nuclear bomb will fall..)
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Born in Tebessa located in ,what was then, the French colony of Algeria. Robert Merle and his family moved to France in 1918. Merle wrote in many styles and won the Prix Goncourt for his novel Week-end à Zuydcoote. He has also written a 13 book series of historical novels, Fortune de France. Recreating 16th and 17th century France through the eyes of a fictitious Protestant doctor turned spy, he w...more
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