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"Maela scion of a royal family of Cambriawas sent in his ninth year to the Abbey of Yvern so that he might there study both sacred and profane learning?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Nothing new under the sun
Though this was published in 1909 you would swear it just came from Newsweek, Time or The Atlantic magazines. This is both comforting and disturbing to know that there is nothing new under the sun. Same old politics, revising history, putting a new spin on current events and just plain old human tendencies crop up in this great little book. Anatole France captured the daily lives we're familiar with and shows that it's an ongoing story since time began. Comforting because you feel that we're not the only group of people to live through turmoil and disturbing because "here we go AGAIN". Sometimes it seems a bit tedious but well worth the read.

NOT light fiction... great French literature (details)
I'm reviewing the Modern Library hardcover edition (1932), with a seven-page Introduction by Professor H.R. Steeves of Columbia University. Unfortunately, Modern Library did not list the name of the translator but it is a very first-rate one.

This insightful novel was the Magnum opus of Anatole France, one of Europe's finest authors of celebrated world literature. I first broke in to France's writings with Anatole France- A Mummer's Tale. which is a darkly hilarious (an Anatole France hallmark) saga of the French theatre.

"Penguin Island," however, is a much less provincial tale. Here's what it's all about (literally):

An aged and pious priest, during an early epoch, was diverted to Penguin Island by the Devil. The old clergyman's eyesight was quite deficient and, through a comedy of errors, he baptized the entire penguin population of the mythical island! The reader is subsequently transported to the realm of Heaven where God is chairing a theological debate as to what to do about the penguins, ergo: should they each be apportioned a soul that they might ascend to Heaven (or to Hell) when they die? The opinions of the late, great philosophers and saints ensue and God ultimately renders His decision: not only will they be given souls; He will also morph them into a more human (but not entirely human) form.

So a new civilization is established. An organized society of a sort commences with these naked penguinoid [my word] primitives but they are swift to evolve. The penguin-people adopt clothing (which launches vanity and jealousy). Then these Penguin Island inhabitants toil through the complex concepts of private property (thereby establishing a hierarchy of leadership and social castes); a census (taxes!); kingdoms (and thus wars and rebellion); the eventual founding of a republic (supplementing greed, tenoned with governmental incompetence of The First Water), and; the ultimate interaction with other cultures (giving rise to even more gluttony and bigger wars, punctuated with rampant racism/anti-Semitism.) In due course, anarchy prevails over all and self-destruction becomes the means to The End. At the conclusion the reader has been retrospectively presented with a fairly accurate history of man.

Now, what the story actually epitomizes is an acerbic appraisal of the world's cultures and societies. France has contrived a beautifully candid, (if at times somewhat hyperbolic), parody of intellectual actualities. This work is one gigantic, prophetic metaphor for all that is dreadful regarding mankind, his governments, and his religious institutions. The story clearly demonstrates to anyone who reads it that the insatiable materialism and the widespread lack of ethics associated with politicians in general have not changed one whit since this book was written one hundred years ago! Churchmen at all echelons are similarly scrutinized for their periodic shortcomings. It's all hilariously irreverent.

Professor Steeves encapsulates France's genius as an author: "The question [of an artist's matured craftsmanship] is not one of years, but of capacity to add continuously and surely to one's intellectual capital, and to utilize that capital to advantage." (Page ix.) Clearly, France had reached a plateau of literary distinction with this intuitive work. I felt compelled to share an excerpt from the text which particularly illustrates France's exquisite brand of humor and which, perhaps tragically, exemplifies such foibles which periodically jut out from within our own judicial system:

[A man, a Jew, who is known by all in authority to be innocent, has been imprisoned and awaits public trial. This dialogue, as was France's novel Monsieur Bergeret a Paris (Dodo Press) (French Edition), was no doubt inspired by his important personal role in the infamous Dreyfus Affair wherein a Jewish army officer was falsely convicted of espionage.]

"'...has he not confessed already? There are tacit confessions; silence is a confession.'

'...he is not silent; he keeps on squealing like a pig that he is innocent.'

'...the confessions of a guilty man sometimes result from the vehemence of his denials. To deny desperately is to confess.'" (Page 179.)

And if Republicans today knew that the following idiosyncratic dialogue had actually been generated in jest a Century ago, they would likely not seize upon a rationale so clearly akin to this one in support their own political posture:

"'...I have called you together to levy contributions from the people so as to provide for public expenses and the maintenance of monks. I consider that these contributions ought to be in proportion to the wealth of each... he who has a hundred oxen will give ten; he who has ten will give one.'

...one of the richest of the Penguins... rose up and said:

'For my part I am ready to give up all I possess in the interest of my brother Penguins... We have, then, only to consider the public interest and to do what it requires... what it requires, what it demands, is not to ask much from those who possess much, for then the rich would be less rich and the poor still poorer. The poor live on the wealth of the rich and that is the reason why that wealth is sacred... You will get no great profit by taking from the rich, for they are very few in number; on the contrary you will strip yourself of all your resources and plunge the country into misery. Whereas if you ask a little from each inhabitant without regard to his wealth, you will collect enough for the public necessities and you will have no need to enquire into each citizen's resources... By taxing all equally and easily you will spare the poor, for you will leave them the wealth of the rich.'" (Page 48.)

While it's difficult to believe, this calculating speech actually gets even more mirthful -- I'm absolutely certain that I have heard parallel oratories by certain contemporary U.S. congressmen.

And Democrats would be sagely advised not to snicker too quickly because, with equally clever articulation, France exposes an apposite number of characteristically liberal methods, many of which manifest the donkey platform; I'm particularly thinking, to cite but a single example, about France's penguin union anarchists, bug-eyed radicals who incite both riots and conflagrations which directly result in the death of their own supporters. But here we must keep in mind that France was not at all targeting American political groups -- he was characterizing politicos in general, all of whom have plagued our lives planet-wide since the days of Noah!

The astute reader will catch that this tale occasionally slips into a First Person delivery, (read the text on page 89 of this edition.) The work is of average length at 295 pages. This is NOT light fiction... sometimes the reading is a bit rocky but France's thoughts tend to coalesce in retrospect for the reader.

Not a lot of people are reading Anatole France (1844-1924, a Nobel Prize of Literature winner) these days but they should. From my view he's right up there with Thomas Hardy, Ivan Turgenev, James Joyce and many other authors of this level of renown.

Highly recommended!

A biting satire still timely today.
This is a brilliant satire of just about every major European institution: the French government, the church, all social classes, royalists, republicans, and socialists.The plot has been very ably summarized by earlier reviews.I suspect that a modern non-French reader is handicapped by not knowing immediately exactly which individuals are being satirized in the novel, but a French person, especially one reading the book at the time it was written, would be immediately aware.The one satire that just about everyone will recognize is the reference to the Dreyfus affair.Dreyfus is called Pyrot in the book, and he is a Jew as was Dreyfus.Instead of being accused of treason, he is accused of stealing 20,000 bales of hay.In spite of clear evidence of his innocence, he is convicted and his conviction is upheld on appeal.Thus one of history's foremost miscarriages of justice is savagely skewered by Anatole France.

The book is at times difficult to read, and it is often hard to follow because of the plethora of characters. Nevertheless, it is a tremendous work of imagination and is unlike anything I have read before.

Vive L'Empereur Penguin!
This book is quite fun to read, I found.But it is very uneven.Briefly, it mocks every institution known to man, including the church, especially the church, so much so that this book is still on the Vatican's Index of verboten writings.Thus, any Roman Catholic reader risks excommunication in reading it.Just warning you!

The conceit is that a group of penguins are inadvertently baptised by a half-blind saint.There follows a deliciously Jesuitical debate in Heaven over whether they now deserve souls.It turns out that they do.But please to ask a member of the aforesaid order on exactly how the logic of all this parses.It's altogether too abstruse for me!

There are other very delicious parts.But, the writing becomes a bit sloppy in points.France frequently forgets his conceit of the nation of Penguinia and calls it what it is: France.Also, too much of the book is devoted to The Dreyfus Affair (herein called Pyrot).

But the book is short enough that one shouldn't allow the unevenness to stand in the way of licking one's lips over jeux d'esprit such as the following declaration by Doctor Obnubile:

"The wise men will collect enough dynamite to blow up this planet.When its fragments fly through space an imperceptible amelioration will be accomplished in the universe and a satisfaction will be given to the universal conscience.Moreover, this universal conscience does not exist."

Have a blast!

Penguin Island
78 page printing error in middle of book. printing went from pages 1-200, 200 back to 123, then 201-finish. ... Read more

Product Description
It is April 1793 and the final power struggle of the French Revolution is taking hold: the aristocrats are dead and the poor are fighting for bread in the streets. In a Paris swept by fear and hunger lives Gamelin, a revolutionary young artist appointed magistrate, and given the power of life and death over the citizens of France. But his intense idealism and unbridled single-mindedness drive him inexorably towards catastrophe. Published in 1912, The Gods Will Have Blood is a breathtaking story of the dangers of fanaticism, while its depiction of the violence and devastation of the Reign of Terror is strangely prophetic of the sweeping political changes in Russia and across Europe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

The Gods Will Have Blood Review
The Gods Will Have Blood is an excellent novel, but I do not recommend it for those who do not have a fairly substantial understanding of the French Revolution. Though a reader would still find themselves enjoying the book regardless of historical knowledge, one will not achieve full understanding and enjoyment if such knowledge does not take its lodging in the reader's mind.
In the event that one does know a good bit about the revolution, he or she will get a lot out of this book. There are, of course, no photographs or videos we can look at from that era, so it is difficult for us to look at the event as anything more than a chapter in a textbook or an interesting lecture. The Gods Will Have Blood does an impressive job of putting the reader in the middle of the action, therefore making it a good book for students to read as a supplement to class, no matter the age. It brings to life what is otherwise simply a reason for a test.
Also, the novel is fictional, but the historical figures and events are real, and the things that happen to the main characters are based on what would actually happen to people of the sort had they lived at that time.

A Contemporary View of the French Revolution
While not the most riveting of pieces ever created, The Gods Will Have Blood does examine the events of the French Revolution from a contemporary standpoint with a certain intimacy of the subject that is difficult to find in secondary accounts. A good read for students of European history but not a NY Times Bestseller caliber choice.

potent
A great book by a not very well known author who spares us the usual fare of passionate women suffering somewhat silently beneath the psycholgoically crushing ennui of bourgeois, male-dominated existence.Instead, we are treated to the tale of a shallow, superficial sentimentalist whose hands drip with the blood of those who fell to the first in a distressingly long line of modern, totalitarian fanaticisms.It reeks of the same kind of naked oppotunism that so many trendy leftist academics exhibit when they too loudly pronounce their oppostion to the mostly imaginary ills of American life - in which one can buy books like this, which repudiates their whole "critique", if I can honor such blather with a word both longer than one syllable and with a pompous French sufffix.

Better History than Novel
This novel makes a point of being historically accurate, and for the most part succeeds. Notes at the back of the book help the reader who is unversed in the complexities of the French Revolution understand some details. While the style of writing fits well with the unsatisfactory nature of the Terror, overall the book isn't a great read. The plot is slow to take off, and the characters are difficult to find realistic. However, if what you're looking for is less literary genuis and more history, this is the book for you.
Davies' introduction is somewhat long, providing a lengthy biography of France as well as an introduction to the book. The translation is consistent and I did not encounter any problems that could be blamed on poor translation.

Vital, trenchant, close to the best of French Lit
Anatole France's "The Gods Will Have Blood" (1912) is a meditation on the price of unbridled fanaticism. Several key personages and events of the French Revolution figure in the story; most notibly Maximllien Robespierre and the death of Jean-Paul Marat.

But don't expect exquisite characterizations, ala Flaubert, Dostoyevski, Henry James or James Joyce. Such was not France's aim. This is a cautionary tale; one that recapitulates Robespierre, the Terror and Napoleon, and prefigures the Soviets and the Nazis.

In fact, France's articulation of the maddening rationale by fanatical judges--that it is they, not their victims, who suffer as they go about the bloody work of enforcing national policies with the murder of perceived enemies--is visited through concentration camp butcher Rudolph Hoess in William Styron's "Sophie's Choice" (1976).

Only the translation prevents this novel from five stars. Given the fact that French is second only to ancient Greek in terms of damage from translation, and it becomes a minor complaint.

This is a novel by a master (Anatole France won the Nobel for Lit in 1921). Read this book; it's an education. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. Translation of: Le puits de Sainte Claire ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Brilliantly-written and a superb old novel
Jealousy, theater, joy, church, affairs, revenge, tragedy, stalking, suicide, and much more can be found herein!

A young man is quite amourous toward a gregarious, young stage actress but she leads him on. He's also burdened with a solid competitor for her affections. The young man's emotional journey, tenoned with the shrewd and subtle humor of the work, will hold the reader's attention to the very end.

The author, Anatole France, (a pseudonym for Jacques Anatole Thibault,1844-1924), was one of the great novelists of his day. He was a very prolific writer in the mainstream of French classicism.

"A Mummer's Tale," (aka, "Histoire Comique") was written in 1903 but remains timeless in its certainty to entertain those who enjoy a good, solid novel. If you're a bit apathetic about the dreary selection of novels on the current market, this fine story might just make you a huge fan of Anatole France. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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A short excerpt: On both banks of the Nile numerous huts, built by these solitary dwellers, of branches held together by clay, were scattered at a little distance from each other, so that the inhabitants could live alone, and yet help one another in case of need. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: The Modern Library in 1914 in 357 pages; Subjects: Fiction / Fantasy / General; Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Science Fiction / General; Fiction / Science Fiction / Adventure; Fiction / Science Fiction / Space Opera; Body, Mind & Spirit / Angels & Spirit Guides; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent
Excellent, starts a bit slow but proves itself to be a tour de force of comic invention, emotional intensity and general creativity. The story appears for the first forty pages to be a setup for a rather dull society world with one Maurice the owner of a vast collection of books and discovering one of them to have gone missing. After a bit of by the numbers effort to see who might have taken it, Maurice is met by the being responsible. It's his guardian angel, and as the result of reading the rationalist literary text the angel has decided that religion and the bonds of heaven are tyranny, and sets about to spread emancipatory consciousness among the order of angels. The title of the book wasn't symbolic, it features the direct plot of the book, with lots of unexpected turns, good insights and general hilarity. The strength of the discordant relationship between Maurice and his ex-guardian angel could carry the book in themselves--there's lots of hilarious and surreal scenes like where Maurice tries (unsuccessfully) to preach the virtues of religion, or when he challenges the angel into a duel over an issue of personal honor. Ultimately the book's scale is a lot wider than just that aspect, and it benefits from it.

Much of the book is a direct satire. It's from the early twentieth century and bits of this humor haven't aged well, but a lot of it has. For instance there's the effort by one angel to talk another into rebellion against the celestrial arrangement and the current social arrangement in France. The second angel protests, on the grounds that France needs no change and was already completely perfect. It then goes on a speech on how the main credit bank of Frane was particularly refined "as pure and chaste and the Holy Virgin."
The novel also has, late on, one of the most affecting inversions of Christian myth that I've seen. The text had previously established a gnostic worldview where the entity ruling by the name of God was a lying oppressor of less than ultimate power. It had also shown Satan and his followers to be free thinkers, who tried to defeat God from humanitarian altruist notions. Across the novel the new outbreak lead by Maurice's ex-guardian angel linked up with the old resistance and formede plans for a new front, gathering strength to a march against the status quo. In the last chapter Satan has a dream, whereby his invasion is successful, the God-being is cast down and he takes on the celestial throne. The scenario plays out longer, with Satan becoming more cold, distant and egotistical, remote from and callous towards the human suffering that motivated his earlier fighting. He starts to shroud himself in mystery and hierarchy and govern as a tyrant. Simultaneously, cast down from the seat of power and command, God begins to observe the suffering of the small people and has a turn towards compassion and activity. Satan awakes from the dream, sees that a successful invasion of Heaen would just switch roles, and calls off the attack, resolving to maintain his spirit of compassion and work to help in smaller ways. There's a basic attitude of decency built into this story that's rather affecting, combined with the very strong and narratively surprising ending tone of anti-militarism. Such moments, of which the above is only the culmination, establish a writer of great sensitivity and complexity as well as humor.

The novel is enormously rewarding and entertaining. Proof that at least sometimes the Nobel Award for Literature wen into deserving hands. I'm definitely going to look up more of Anatole France's writings.

Similar to and better than: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Similar to and also better than: The Hunchback of Notre Dama by Victor Hugo

Almost 100 years old and full of insight even for the modern man....
"The Revolt of the Angels" is a wonderful tale spun around the dichotomy of existence.In this story, much like man, we're told of the polar feelings of angels.Journey through this text, from the start of the 20th century and see its elements laden with Gnosticism.Truly a different way to look at the conflicts of faith and what is deemed good and evil.Written in an intellectual fashion, containing a through understanding of biblical proceedings, "The Revolt of the Angels" succeeds in summoning up thought processes, even amongst the most pious of Christians.Just like Arcade's (one of the main characters of this tale) thirst and journey for knowledge, readers are proposed with philosophical and social dilemmas, which will leave you deep in thought.
~John J. Petrolino III: November 10, 2008
Author of Galleria: A collection of poetry and the short story "Three Lonesome Travelers"

Heavenly Coup
Yes, Anatole France was a Nobel Prize laureate; No, that is partreason enough to read him (Who can name six laureates). If you need to be convinced, try The Revolt of the Angels.

An angel, Arcade, leaves heaven, comes to earth, uses his invisibility to steal books from a library, after which he joins a host of fallen brethren with plans to overthrow god. Fantastic? Think again. In the hands of France, the plot is a mere jot; he is more interested in expressing his contrarian view of the universe.

His knowledge of history and religious texts is amply demonstrated; however the main draw is his cynical philosophy and his virtuosity in descriptions. When one of the angels delivers a tirade, the lifespan of the universe is captured in paragraphs: Original sin is a fable concocted by god, the Reformation was started Luther "all swollen with beer and theology," and god's thunderbolt was stolen by Franklin. According to France, god foresees everything, yet is surprised by the most probable event. France is not interested in orthodoxy, this is notreligious satire to make you laugh; this is one that causes you to painfully shake your head and smile.

The conclusion is obvious, but it brings us back to reality - nothing will change. By the end of this impressive work of literature we discover only one angel is in revolt and it is not Arcade. It is Anatole France.

Revolt of the French?
There's a lot to work with in this idea. Angels exist on earth, lots of them, including many assigned duties as guardian angels. God's in his heaven, and all's right with the world.

But, at the hands of master satirist France, all is not right with the world. The god in this story is a petty, tinhorn tyrant. He has arrogated himself power of life and death over this world's little beings, but with no true understanding of the clockwork perfection of even his assigned corner of this universe. Many of those angels on earth have defected, and are plotting an insurrection against that god's dictatorial rule. They secure funding, they stockpile bombs of horrific power, and they brace themselves for the struggle ahead.

I'm no scholar of the French revolution, but one point of similarity leaps out: the rebels' near-total lack of plan for what happens after the current in-crowd is outed. And, once the angels take on some features of earthly flesh, they fall victim to many of the ills that human flesh is heir to. Those include love of money, love of women, and love of the anarchic plotting in itself.

There's a lot to like in this novel by Nobel winner France, but also a few things that didn't work for me. France move his plot forward using an alternation of many viewpoints - a technique that works poorly for maintaining cohesion in a story. This translation, from 1914, is generally readable and enjoyable, but a few of its phrases seemed stilted by today's standards. And, although I enjoyed the narrative, I was not always sure how the family story of the d'Esparvieus matched the larger story around it. France makes up for any failings, of course, in his repartee, including some well-place barbs at America and Americans.

//wiredweird

one of my favorite novels
Hilarious and silly. A perfectly ironic retelling of "Paradise Lost." ... Read more

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Translated by JOS. A. V. STRITZKO ... Read more

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This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. Freehold Land Societies - Their History, Present Position, and Claims is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Red Lily - Complete is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Anatole France is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Anatole France then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Honey-Bee - 1911 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Anatole France is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Anatole France then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. The Seven Wives Of Bluebeard - 1920 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Anatole France is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Anatole France then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 1; Original Published by: J. Lane in 1910 in 345 pages; Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Fantasy / General; Fiction / Fantasy / Epic; Fiction / Historical; Fiction / Literary; History / Europe / France; Literary Criticism / European / French; ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: G.H. Richmond; Publication date: 1896; Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Historical; Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Short Stories; History / Europe / France; Literary Criticism / European / French; ... Read more