Martin Amis's novel 'A Zone of Interest' gets rave reviews, but is dropped by French and German publishers
Martin Amis鈥檚 new Holocaust novel 鈥淭he Zone of Interest鈥� is getting rave reviews in the US and UK, but Amis鈥檚 French and German publishers passed on the book.聽
The book centers on the German concentration camp Auschwitz, where the stories of commander of the camp Paul, nephew of Hitler鈥檚 secretary Thomsen, and Szmul, who is a prisoner at the camp, all converge.
鈥淶one鈥� is forthcoming in the US 鈥� it will be released on Sept. 30 鈥� but is already racking up positive reviews. writer Alan Cheuse called it 鈥渁 book that may stand for years as the triumph of [Amis鈥檚] career.鈥�
鈥淚t felt as though I had touched a third rail, so powerful and electric is the experience of reading it,鈥� Cheuse wrote. 鈥淭he web of actions that Amis constructs around the love affair [Thomsen falls in love with Paul鈥檚 wife Hannah] 鈥� rises to the level of brilliance鈥�. Szmul emerges as a virtually Shakespearean figure, in the scope of his insight and the ironic majesty of his descent from virtue to earthly monster in order to survive.鈥�
awarded the book a starred review, calling it 鈥渂rilliant 鈥� devastating,鈥� while Barbara Love of called it 鈥渆ssential reading 鈥� as audacious as it is chilling鈥� and Kirkus Reviews wrote it is 鈥渁n indelible and unsentimental exploration of the depths of the human soul.鈥�
Many reviewers in the UK, where it was released in August, have also been impressed, with critic Alex Preston writing that it is 鈥渢he best thing [Amis] has written since聽鈥楲ondon Fields鈥欌�� this is a novel that will endure.鈥� Meanwhile, Bryan Appleyard of the wrote that the book is 鈥渂rilliant: a technical and aesthetic聽tour de force.鈥澛�
However, French publisher Gallimard, which according to the is Amis鈥檚 鈥渓ongtime鈥� publisher, will not be releasing the book there at this time. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 very convincing,鈥� Amis鈥檚 editor Marie-Pierre Gracedieu told the NYT. 鈥淚t was for literary reasons.鈥� However, French publisher Calmann-L茅vy will be publishing the novel next fall.
Amis鈥檚 editor Piero Salab猫 at his German publisher Carl Hanser Verlag told the NYT that the publisher passing on the book had 鈥渘othing to do with the Holocaust being a sensitive issue in Germany鈥� and that 鈥渙ur decision was based on the book鈥檚 contents as well as on economic considerations鈥� [Amis] is a major literary figure, but unfortunately not in Germany, so we could not hope to make a best seller with his new book鈥�. [Amis鈥檚 book 鈥楾he Pregnant Widow鈥橾 sold modestly.鈥� Salab猫 said the publisher had also decided not to release Amis鈥檚 2008 book 鈥淭he Second Plane.鈥�
Amis鈥檚 agent Andrew Wylie told the NYT he thinks a new publisher in Germany will turn up quickly.
According to Amis, who told the NYT he was 鈥渟urprised and disappointed鈥� by the decisions by Gallimard and Carl Hanser Verlag (鈥淏ut you never quite know what motivates them,鈥� he said), to his knowledge Carl Hanser Verlag said they wouldn鈥檛 be publishing the book because of 鈥渋nconsistencies in the plot鈥� and because SS officer Thomsen identified too much with the Nazi ideology.聽
鈥淚n fact, a careful reading of the book will show he鈥檚 never a servant of the regime, that he was always at least trying to frustrate various policies, and halfway through, he becomes an active saboteur,鈥� Amis said.聽
