The Ghost of Munich, By Georges-Marc Benamou
"In Munich I had obtained a temporary reprieve, but the execution would still take place." This documentary novel, from a former adviser to Mitterrand with an insider's grasp of behind-the-scenes intrigue, revisits the Munich summit of 1938 through the eyes of French president Daladier, as much Hitler's fall-guy as Neville Chamberlain.
As he looks back in anguish, with Sir Neville in the role of joint patsy to serve the Führer's ambitions, Daladier unveils the self-deceptions that allowed the Nazi tanks to roll.
That we know the dreadful outcome never diminishes the fateful ironies of Benamou's elegy for a dying world. Shaun Whiteside's translation captures all the polished cluelessness of Europe's doomed elites.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies