This novel was written in 1935 although it did not get published until 1957 because of its erotic content. It takes place in Europe during the rise of Nazism and in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The protagonist, Troppmann seems resigned to the eventual rise of the Nazis and the pending doom for Europe. The novel seems to be symbolic in the use of Troppmann's affairs with three different women and how they represent the politics of the time. From 1001 books: The novel "mirrors the descent of Europe into fascism in the drunk, sick, and decaying bodies of its protagonists. Bataille points to the fascination with an abject, deathly sexuality that Nazism taps into..."
I think if I was more attuned to the politics of the 1930s I would have appreciated this novel more. As it was, I was glad it was short (about 150 pages) and I was able to read it in one afternoon.
I think if I was more attuned to the politics of the 1930s I would have appreciated this novel more. As it was, I was glad it was short (about 150 pages) and I was able to read it in one afternoon.
