The trap

Emmanuel Bove, French novelist and writer, born in Paris in 1898. Published many popular novels under a pseudonym, "Jean Valjean," then moved to work in journalism. Published his first novel "My Friends" under his real name in 1924, which achieved great success, followed by subsequent works. In 1942, during the Nazi occupation of France, he fled to Algeria where he wrote his last three novels: "The Trap"; "Departure in the Night"; "No Place." After the liberation of France, he returned to Paris in poor health and died there in 1945. The publication of Emmanuel Bove's novel "The Trap" in April 1945, about three months before his death, was not normal; the writer thus broke five full years of literary silence during which he refused to publish any work, having sworn not to publish anything while the country was under the Vichy government. This literary return passed somewhat unnoticed. Emmanuel had begun writing this novel immediately after the Nazi occupation of France and continued writing it during his stay in Algeria between 1942 and 1945, condemning the concessions made by the Vichy government to the Nazis. However, it must be noted that its publication came very early, as France, rejoicing in its liberation from German occupation, wanted to close this dark chapter of its history, and therefore scrutinizing this period would come later. Many publishers refused the manuscript while the writer was ill and fighting death. He would have felt happy seeing his two novels "The Trap" and "Departure in the Night" published, which are part of his trilogy dedicated to war. The third part, titled "No Place" and published posthumously, is the work that would put an end not only to his writings about war but to his entire literary career. Publisher Translated from French: Bahaa Iyaali