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| Author | Jonathan Littell |
|---|---|
| Original title | Les Bienveillantes |
| Translator | Charlotte Mandell |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Novel, historical fiction |
| Publisher | Éditions Gallimard (France) HarperCollins (U.S.) |
Publication date | September 13, 2006 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | March 3, 2009 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 902 pp (French) 992 pp (English) |
| ISBN | 2-07-078097-X (French) ISBN 978-0-06-135345-1 (English) |
| OCLC | 71274155 |
| LC Class | PQ3939.L58 B5 2006 |
The Kindly Ones (French: Les Bienveillantes) is a 2006 historical fiction novel written in French by American-born author Jonathan Littell. The book is narrated by its fictional protagonist Maximilien Aue, a former SS officer of French and German ancestry who was a Holocaust perpetrator and was present during several major events of World War II.
The 983-page book became a bestseller in France and was widely discussed in newspapers, magazines, academic journals, books and seminars. It was also awarded two of the most prestigious French literary awards, the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française and the Prix Goncourt in 2006, and has been translated into several languages.