Acclaimed Novelist Andrei Makine Celebrates True Patriotism in This
Time of False Heroes
Jean-Claude Servan-Schreiber enlisted in the French army at the outset
of World War II and quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant. Despite his
patriotism and courage in defending his country, in which he narrowly
escaped death several times, he suffered the bigotry of his fellow
soldiers until he was expelled from the army for being Jewish. He sought
exile in Spain and was deported and interned in a concentration camp
before he managed to join the Allied army in North Africa. He eventually
participated in the triumphant liberation of his homeland.
His story, almost forgotten, would have remained unknown if not for the
efforts of the award-winning and internationally bestselling author
Andrei Makine, Retelling Servan-Schreiber's dramatic life with a
novelist's skill, he reveals a man who embraced experience in all its
joys and sorrows, who knew the pleasures of love amid the savagery of
war, and who could forgive the hatred he was subjected to but never
forget it. In Servan-Schreiber, who is now nearly a centenarian, Makine
celebrates virtues that every citizen should be reminded of:
self-sacrifice, honor, love of country, and true heroism.
