Agnieszka's Reviews > HHhH

No, it’s not invented ! What would be the point of inventing “ Nazism “ ?

Laurent Binet’s novel HHhH is actually two stories in one. Firstly, it's an exciting thriller and suspenseful novel about the assassination of Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, Himmler’s right hand or brain according to the title of the novel, Reinhard Heydrich. Novel is packed with well-known names from Nazi high echelons, in brief retrospectives Binet recaps events which led to Hitler’s accession to power, growth of anti-Semitism, birth of the idea of Final Solution and bringing it to existence to assassination on Heydrich and it devastatingly disastrous aftermath. While I knew most of these facts, oddly, the names of assassins were alien to me. Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík, Czech and Slovak, what I find not only touching and symbolic but also important as a sign of solidarity and attempt to overcome longtime animosity between these two nations.

Secondly, HHhH is a novel about writing a novel, about the tribulations of the writer chasing his youthful dream when he first heard about the attack on the Butcher of Prague . It's about collecting materials, visiting sites, picking up memorabilia, anecdotes, digging in archives and libraries, about people he met in the course of that search. This is a thing about the torments of creation and writing process, of filling the gaps there where reliable sources don’t exist, of frustrating and confusing facts ( there were three different people called Moravec but one, what a relief, Moravek ), of obsessive delving into details ( was Heydrich’s Mercedes dark green or was it black ? ). This kind of narrative, that jumping from Nazi Germany to the present day to describe the personal struggles with still expanding material some readers found as it biggest weakness, the kind of crack, the author's attempt to establish himself as an equal protagonist of described events. But I do not think so.

I thought it was brilliant. Thanks to it the novel gained more personal, intimate character. And a new perspective. Binet did not write a history textbook, right ?, and therefore could afford for a lot of personal, emotional sallies towards politicians. When he describes appeasement policy and The Munich Agreement , cowardice of the French minister Daladier or lack of moral backbone and blindness of Chamberlain, when he calls them vile we do feel his anger and contempt. It is hard to blame him for that, right ? Was turning a blind eye to subsequent requests of Hitler, sacrificing another countries ( the Anschluss of Austria, Sudetenland, the establishment of the province of Slovakia with puppet government ), leaving the Czech and then Polish to themselves supposed to save the world from the next conflict ? Satisfy Hitler’s appetite ? Binet is not the subtle one in his accusations, when he senses shit he doesn’t pretend it smells like perfume. Let the history prove who was right and who was wrong, judge the guilty but he, the author, has the last word. He is neither historian nor diplomat and while trying to remain faithful to historic events he allows himself to be snarky. And unsure. And in awe.

To me strength and innovation of that novel lies just in its structure and the duality of the narrative. Two complementary and interrelated, parallel threads: record of historical facts mixed with author's reflections on writing historical book. And it perfectly worked here. Not only brought to life people and places but also allowed Binet to show his admiration, feel the compassion, yell out his wrath. And save all these brave people from oblivion.


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Here ends my proper review but I wanted yet to share this anecdote with you. Mariusz Szczygieł, Polish journalist and avid admirer of Czech people, their country and culture, author of collections of great reportages about our south neighbors ( Gottland: Mostly True Stories from Half of Czechoslovakia, Make Yourself a Paradise ) had once conversation about heroism with Czech taxi driver. It went more or less like that:
TD – You, Poles, probably despise us a bit ?
MSz - I for sure do not, sir, The Czech Resistance killed Hitler's favourite, Heydrich. It is certainly the heroism !
TD - But what is the claim to fame? Heydrich traveled in an unarmoured, open-top vehicle so it was easier to hit him.
Msz - But you got him !
TD - That's an overstatement. He drove without any escort and the route was not guarded by any patrols.
MSz - But he did not survive !
TD - Just because he himself eased that task. As the first assassin tried to shoot him, Heydrich instead of running gave the order to stop the car.
MSz - But still you killed him.
TD - But it is not so certain, the gun of the first assassin misfired and the second one had to throw grenade toward the car.
MSz - Well, and thanks to it you slew the right hand of Hitler.
TD – There’s no need to exaggeration. Heydrich did not even defend himself. He jumped out of the car and wanted to shoot but it turned out that in his gun was not the magazine.
MSz - But you managed to kill him !!!
TD - Why, no ! He died a week later in hospital. From sepsis.

And on that Szczygieł could only state that it is not an easy thing to make a heroic act in the Czech Republic. I love that anecdote because it speaks something not only about our neighbors but also about Polish. When we are whole pathos and ethos Czechs love absurd and dark humour. And nation which can laugh at themselves will never lose.