THE SELF-BETRAYED

by Joseph Wechsberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 1954

The dossier on ""Stern, Bruno"" is kept by his classmate, ""Willert, Jacques"", from his arrival in the class of 1924 to his preposterous confession at his trial in the 1950's. Willert traces Stern's conscious deviation from comfortable middle-class life, his belief in social justice and Marx, and his talent for convincing by confusion. He returns after World War II to his country, now a police state, to learn that Stern has become a monster, feared by all. He finds his few old friends stripped by the terror that permeates their lives and, in trying to see Stern to find out what happened to his sister, Lola, comes upon greater evidence of Stern's rise through the Party and adds to the dangers surrounding the classmates that are left. His interview with Stern confirms his fears -- that Stern had let his own sister die -- and he is permitted to leave, under threats. Stern's power is toppled and his confession, before death, is a masterpiece of perversion. The people that history has happened to, the feel of a nationwide anxiety neurosis, the small, personal concerns against the powerful pall of constant surveillance -- this is the setting for a tortuous brilliance that brings its own ruin. No fireworks here but a convincing story of modern Europe.

Pub Date: Feb. 14, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1954

Categories: FICTION