Off Topic: Looking for history/historical fiction book to read

by Sospiro0 on Nov 11, 2007 3:24 PM EST Comment 8 comments

I recently bought the Melville film, "Army of Shadows." I enjoyed it immensely and have since been trying to find history books and/or fiction that focuses on the French underground resistance during World War II. Anybody have any recommendations? I know posters on this site are history buffs which is why I came here.

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It's not a book, but...

The Sorrow and the Pity, a film documentary concerning French collaboration and resistance, is excellent. Long, and sub-titled, but excellent.

by Transmission on Nov 11, 2007 4:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Iron

Kingdom

by nms on Nov 11, 2007 5:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Christopher Clark?

by Sospiro0 on Nov 11, 2007 6:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Heh

There's a movie/documentary called "The Red Orchestra." Order from: when6is9@verizon.net

Actually, my great step-uncle Grossvogel was 2nd in command of that particular resistance group. Interesting bunch. There was also a French 1989 movie. Not sure about ordering info on that, but here's the IMDB link:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0095793/

by mroak89 on Nov 11, 2007 7:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Slightly off

It's not exactly about the French Underground, but Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, is a novel that begins in Paris right before the Nazi occupation. It's absolutely brilliant, and I doubt you'll find a better novel for the period. It's made all the more powerful by the fact that the author was a Jew living in Paris before the occupation, and was subsequently arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where she would later die. Read it.

"When you have a fat friend there are no see-saws. Only catapults." -Demetri Martin

by RVachon on Nov 11, 2007 8:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Marc Bloch

It's not exactly what you asked for, but one of the founders of the Annales school of history was Marc Bloch. He was a member of the resistance who working on a book about historiography (The Historian's Craft) when he was killed in 1944. His Strange Defeat is a sad assessment of France's utter inability to defend itself from Germany in 1940. Both are well worth your time.

by asinwreck on Nov 11, 2007 8:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

Thanks for all the help. I'll definitely check 'em all out.

by Sospiro0 on Nov 12, 2007 5:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Children of Paradise

Isn't about the underground, but it is a product of it and one of the best movies ever. The entire thing was produced secretly under German occupation.

by phantom on Nov 12, 2007 9:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs