THE QUICKSAND WAR

by Lucien Bodard ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 1967

Subtitled ""Prelude to Vietnam,"" this book tells the tortuous story of Indochina from the return of the French after the Japanese defeat in 1945 until 1950, when Paris at last began to grasp some of the bitter realities of the situation and, since it was too late to alter destiny, ""turned her face towards glory"" and sent in a hero: General de Lattre de Tassigny. Originally published as two large volumes in French (L' Enlisement--The Bogging Down--and L' Humiliation), this is the beginning of a series designed to carry the tale past Dien Bien Phu and Geneva, to the point where France finally was forced to pass her guttering torch to the United States. Patrick O'Brian has done a brilliant job of more than translation here, trimming out the political detail comprehensible only to a Frenchman, yet retaining the immediacy and cogency of Bodard's account. It is an oft-told tale by now, of course, but no one has told it better, or from quite the same point of view as this old Asia hand. It should be no surprise to learn that Bodard was a close associate of Graham Greene; indeed, in larger scope, Bodard's Indochina is comparable to The Quiet American.

Pub Date: April 4, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown-A.M.P

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION