The Moon Is Down

by John Steinbeck, Donald V. Coers (Introduction)

In this remarkable novel of human courage and defiance, Steinbeck celebrates democracy and the power of the individual against tyranny.

A North European country has been invaded. In one small town the people's initial confusion crystallizes into a silent, sullen anger that gradually undermines the conquerors until they too come to know what fear means. The Moon is Down had extraordinary impact as Allied propaganda in Nazi-occupied Europe. Despite Axis attempts to suppress it (in Fascist Italy, mere possession of a copy of the book was punishable by death) thousands of copies circulated throughout Europe, bearing witness to the power of ideas in the face of terror and brutality.

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, War, Literature, American, Novels

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘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

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

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!!

[Piyangie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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/

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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”.

[Helga چـو ایـران نباشد تن من مـباد · Rating 4 out of 5]

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...

[سـارا · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Carolyn Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was brilliant!

[مجیدی‌ام · Rating 5 out of 5]

*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.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Sawsan · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

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?

[Kushagri · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Eliasdgian · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Shaghayegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[HaMiT · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[kian · Rating 5 out of 5]

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...

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Liam Mulvaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this beautiful book!

5/5

[Peiman E iran · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Maziyar Yf · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Mohammad Hrabal · Rating 4 out of 5]

عالی بود. ترجمه هم خوب بود. ولی فکر می کنم یه ترجمه امروزی ازش بکنند هم خوب باشه. نمیدونم باز ترجمه شده یا نه.

[صَــــنَــــمْــــ · Rating 5 out of 5]

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؟

[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

پروپاگاندا یک شیوه ارتباطی است که برای دستکاری یا تأثیرگذاری بر عقاید گروه‌ها و یا برای پشتیبانی از یک علت یا عقیده خاص استفاده می‌شود.

تعریف کلمه‌ی پروپاگاندا به آدم این حس رو میده که نمی‌تونه مثبت باشه. اما اشتاین‌بک نظر دیگری داشته. بعد از اشغال بخشی از اروپا توسط آلمان نازی در جنگ‌ جهانی دوم، او اعتقاد داشت که همانطور که هیتلر با استفاده از پروپاگاندا اهداف سیاسی خودش رو پیش می‌بره، کشورهای اشغال‌شده و در جنگ هم باید پروپاگاندای خودشون رو داشته باشند.

چه پروپاگاندایی؟ امید.

داستان با حمله و اشغال یک شهر توسط نیروهای دشمن شروع میشه. کدوم کشور؟ نمی‌دونیم. کدوم دشمن؟ نمی‌دونیم. این کتاب برای یک ملت و یک جنگ نوشته نشده. مهم اینه که مردم شهر با اینکه به راحتی در ظاهر مجبور به تسلیم می‌شن، در باطن روحیه‌ی آزادگی خودشون رو حفظ می‌کنند.

یکی از نکات جالب این کتاب اینه که افسران دشمن رو هم خیلی انسانی به تصویر می‌کشه و از اندوه درونیشون میگه. این مسئله باعث میشه که وقتی کتاب در بحبوحه‌ی جنگ‌جهانی منتشر میشه، انتقادات زیادی به اشتاین‌بک وارد بشه. اما پس از جنگ مشخص میشه که این کتاب یکی از محبوب‌ترین کتاب‌های ممنوعه و قاچاقی در کشورهای اشغال‌شده بوده و حداقل مردم درگیر جنگ این نگاه واقع‌گرایانه رو دوست داشتند.

اما من. با اینکه هیچوقت از توصیفات و قلم اشتاین‌بک سیر نمی‌شم و این کتاب هم کم زیبایی نداشت، با داستان‌هایی با پیام‌های واضح و کلی کمتر ارتباط برقرار می‌کنم. پروپاگاندا، اینوری یا اونوری، اول و آخر هم یک‌چیزه. فشار دادن یک طرز فکر. حتی اگر این فکر آزادگی انسان باشه.

کانال تلگرام ریویوها و دانلود کتاب‌ها و صوتیشون
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۲/۴/۳

[Metodi Markov · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Mackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can happen when an oppressive military force becomes aware that they are surrounded and outnumbered by those that they have invaded?

A seemingly tactile and efficient military group known only as “the invaders” have besieged and taken over an unnamed town located somewhere in Northern Europe. The residents of the town are collectively bemused as to what has happened because the invasion was carried out so quickly. It turns out that the invaders had help from inside the town through a local shopkeeper. After successfully seizing the town, the invaders have been ordered by their superiors to seize coal from the local coal mines. The citizens are made work the mines to gather the coal.

As time goes by, the invaders settle in billets and maintain the occupation of the town. The enslaved townsfolk begin to fall silent and appear more obedient than usual. However, their eyes are persistently fixed on their tyrannical enemy, filled with looks of anger and ever-growing hatred. Over time, the silence and stares of hatred begin to intimidate the invaders, progressively subverting any authority they held over the townsfolk. Soldiers associated with the invasion force have begun disappearing, and the citizens set about initiating their own clandestine retribution.

Published in 1942, The Moon is Down was intended to act as an allegorical piece of literature aimed at advocating the resistance of the allies against the Nazis in occupied lands throughout Europe. This novel was said to be one of the most popular works across Western Europe and China during WWII. With its great popularity, there were, of course, criticisms which followed. However, its popularity triumphed and criticisms were outnumbered by praises. The novel became categorised as allied propaganda and was secretly translated, printed, and published in numerous languages at great risk to those doing so. It was both covertly and widely supplied to citizens in occupied countries all across Western Europe and China. A member of the Italian resistance had remarked how merely owning a copy was an offence, punishable by death.

The key themes behind this tale centre around the nature of power and the correlative unpredictability of the human being, how circumstances drastically impact the value of a human life, the brutal realities of military occupation, as well as, how the durability and viability of a democracy is dependent on the shared notions of endurance, commitment and core values of its citizens. Furthermore, this story serves as an excellent illustration of the unequivocal necessity of resistance against pervasive forces which aim to suppress and subjugate. Steinbeck provides a great insight into how centralised decision-making against a different culture motivated by callous attitudes, malevolent intentions, and an unrelenting desire to establish despotic ordinance will only ever be met with resistance.

When progressing through the book, I kept thinking about the infamous French resistance and their ironclad ambition to drive the Nazis out of France and take back their country with the help of allied forces. However, another WWII event also comes to mind when I recall the invaders swiftly taking hold of the town early on into the story, and their desire to extract coal from the mines. Namely, the rapid invasion of Norway in 1940. An act committed by the Nazi war machine through the use of Blitzkrieg, to gain access and control of the ports, and create secure supply routes to seize Swedish iron ore. Additionally, the intentions that the Nazis had of establishing Norway as a base of operations to assist in them in their battle against the Soviet Union.

From the introduction of this novel, I learnt that Steinbeck worked alongside the Office of Coordinator of Information (COI) in 1941. His affiliation with the COI allowed him to be in contact with citizens who had been displaced from native countries which had been taken over by the Nazis; countries including both Norway and France among other countries like Denmark, Belgium and Holland. It would be logical to assume that Steinbeck engineered some of the events in this story based on civilian accounts of what was happening in their homeland. A likely example being Norse citizens sharing events from the aforementioned invasion of Norway, allowing Steinbeck to form fresh ideas, such as the townspeople being made to extract coal from the mines within the novel.

I remember being at school and was told to read Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. I wasn’t an avid reader back then and had never completed it. I was more concerned about getting home from school and playing Mortal Kombat on my PS2. However, I remember being in class and learning about Curley’s wife’s red dress and how it represented her promiscuous nature and so on. That was my very first exposure to an allegory within literature. Something which I failed to appreciate at the time.

On the subject of allegories and Steinbeck, the novel’s title “The Moon is Down” is rather aptly chosen by the author. It is from the second act of Shakespeare’s Macbeth; “The moon is down; I have not heard the clock”. The moon symbolises the human spirit, that of hope, freedom and resistance. When the moon is down, it depicts an encounter from the dark and subduing forces of oppression, and exemplifies how authoritarianism can temporary quash this previously mentioned hope and freedom. As this ordinance briefly considers itself victorious, the moon is inexorably set to rise again and illuminate over those who have been oppressed and liberate them from the confines of subjugation. The message behind this novel’s title. and the story within, is that tyranny can never hold a permanent place in the world, especially when in the presence of both resilience and resistance.

On an unrelated matter altogether, I have been wondering if Albert Camus ever read this book and used it as a means of influence for his own novel “The Plague” which was published 5 years later.

Conclusively, this book has served as a great introduction to Steinbeck. Reading the introduction and learning about the enormous sentimental affects that this book had on people during their experiences of extreme anguish, and the risks that were taken to keep this novel spreading across Western Europe and China throughout the war will stay with me for a long time. This novel stands as a symbol of the power behind civilian resistance, and as a reminder of the endurance that can be found in oneself during even the most severe of hardships. I am looking forward to reading more of Steinbeck’s work in the future.

Overall, a fully enjoyable read. Highly recommended. - (Especially, if you have read or aim to read The Plague by Camus).

I will end this review by leaving you with some quotes that stayed with me:

• “...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.” (p.23).

• “...he was a solider, 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.” (p.23).

• “In marching, in mobs, in football games, and in war, outlines become vague; real things become unreal and a fog creeps over the mind. Tension and excitement, weariness, movement – all merge in one great gray dream, so that when it is over, it is hard to remember how it was when you killed men or ordered them to be killed. Then other people who were not there tell you what it was like and you say vaguely, “Yes, I guess that’s how it was.”” (p.23).

• “That is a mystery that has disturbed rulers all over the world – how the people know. It disturbs the invaders now, I am told, how news runs through censorships, how the truth of things fights free of control. It is a great mystery” (p.44).

• ““...the one impossible job in the world, the one thing that can’t be done” - “And that is?” - “To break man’s spirit permanently.”” (p.50).

• “If you think that by killing men you can prevent someone from censuring your evil lives, you are mistaken.” (p.109).

• “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.” (p.111).

[None Ofyourbusiness Loves Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

By mid-morning, the defenders of the town lie broken in the square, the policeman and the postman sit behind bars in their own jail, and the invaders distribute instructions with the efficiency of a bakery ledger. The snow begins to fall, but no one mentions the weather. The mine, once the quiet engine of the town’s livelihood, now hums for someone else’s war machine.

A man named Corell, previously known for his generosity with picnic lunches and ammunition prizes, reveals himself as a collaborator with a precise inventory of every local firearm. The rifles vanish. The Mayor does not.

Alexander Morden swings his pickaxe and strikes a soldier in uniform, a man with dogs and pink children waiting at home. The moment registers as murder on paper and as something far less manageable in the lives of those who knew him.

His wife, Molly, enters the mayor’s house with trembling eyes and steady hands, her request unspoken yet fully understood. Doctor Winter rolls his thumbs beside the fireplace. The colonel delivers orders with the expression of a man reciting tax law, but a faint crack appears in his tone when he refers to an old woman in Belgium and the twelve soldiers she dispatched with a hatpin. The occupying officers refer to the trial as procedure, as necessity, as the price of calm. The townspeople refer to it with silence.

The resistance here emerges through the narrowest of channels: a delay at the coal siding, an empty shop window, a girl who forgets to bow, a cook who throws boiling water without apology. Discipline collapses without ceremony. Soldiers disappear. Reports thicken. Men who had once admired British pipes and Sussex gardens begin to scan doorways for buckets of stones.

The colonel, though nominally in charge, reads each episode with the eyes of someone who already remembers the conclusion. “The flies have conquered the flypaper,” says Doctor Winter, and with that line, the tone of the entire book settles into place. What begins as military occupation becomes an arithmetic of humiliation, retaliation, refusal, and quiet momentum.

In this cold, brief, and exquisitely calibrated novella, Steinbeck makes no effort to disguise the structure: this is resistance literature. And yet, what he crafts here avoids slogans, avoids doctrine, avoids even the superficial geometry of good versus evil. The enemy, whose uniforms resemble something unmistakable, speaks with delicacy, civility, and fatal confidence. Their language is clean. Their boots are polished. Their orders arrive on time. And yet, every step they take fractures something irreparable.

Captain Loft, whose devotion to protocol borders on theology, demands strict adherence to Manual X-12 and correct posture when lighting a cigarette. Lieutenant Tonder, who attempts poetry in the presence of tragedy, finds himself alone with scissors. Colonel Lanser, who remembers how this sort of thing always ends, offers cautious guidance to subordinates who consider themselves both conquerors and gentlemen. The mistake lies in their expectation that people, once disarmed, remain manageable.

Mayor Orden speaks without volume and governs without guards. His chain of office, once ornamental, acquires a different meaning once soldiers enter his home and request his cooperation. He declines without flourish, without interruption, without appeal to history or morality. “I have no right to take it away,” he says, when asked whether a man should be denied the choice to die for others.

The occupiers continue to speak of order, procedure, discipline, and efficiency, their vocabulary at odds with their results. The longer they remain, the more quickly their position deteriorates. Coal cars derail. Shops close. Girls smirk. Boys vanish. Meetings produce nothing but tightened nerves. Even dinner ceases to function as respite.

One lieutenant, once fond of Viennese operettas and forbidden art, finds himself surrounded by enemies disguised as peasants. No violence announces itself as noble, yet every moment of compliance leaves a residue of shame.

Nothing here resolves. Nothing concludes. Instead, the resistance accumulates in the gaps between words, in the space between chairs, in the silences that stretch between one command and the failure to obey it.

The moon never rises in this book, because light does not govern its momentum. Authority comes from consent, and that consent recedes with every act of condescension. A cigarette passed across a desk, a coat hung too neatly on a chair, a minor request phrased as diplomacy. All of these become points of fracture.

The townspeople, faceless in public and unforgettable in private, move through the story like wind through a locked house. Their resistance never performs. It simply continues. The invaders, for all their documentation and supply chains, spend every minute eroding. They occupy rooms rather than territory, without victory, without rescue, without elevation. And still, something unstoppable has begun.