The Centurions (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Centurions is a novel written by French journalist and former soldier Jean Lartéguy
. It was translated from the original French
into English
by Xan Fielding
. The novel included the first use of the so-called "ticking time bomb" scenario. In 1966, The Centurions was adapted into a motion picture, Lost Command
, that starred Anthony Quinn
.
stated that Lartéguy "almost overnight became something of a household" name in France after its publication, and that during the 1960s, he was one of the most widely-read authors in the nation. It went on to say that Larteguy, beginning with The Centurions, was partly responsible for a revival of novel reading in France where, at the time according to statistics cited from Le Figaro Littéraire
, 38% of adults had never read a book.
As American involvement in the Vietnam War increased, it was studied by American officers and Special Forces soldiers. The book regained currency with the onset of the Global War on Terrorism and the insurgency phase of the Iraq War. Since then, it has often been quoted or analyzed in works on counter-insurgency. Some individuals who have either publicly praised The Centurions or quoted it in their own work include:
Jean Lartéguy
Jean Lartéguy was the nom de plume of Jean Pierre Lucien Osty, a French writer, journalist, and former soldier. He was born in 1920 in Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne and died in 2011...
. It was translated from the original French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Xan Fielding
Xan Fielding
Xan Fielding, born Alexander Wallace Fielding DSO , was a British soldier and writer, noted for his English translations of Planet of the Apes and The Bridge on the River Kwai, both by Pierre Boulle....
. The novel included the first use of the so-called "ticking time bomb" scenario. In 1966, The Centurions was adapted into a motion picture, Lost Command
Lost Command
Lost Command is a 1966 war film directed by Mark Robson and filmed in Spain. The screenplay was written by Nelson Gidding, based on the 1960 novel The Centurions by Jean Lartéguy...
, that starred Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
.
Characters
- Aicha – An Algerian Muslim woman who falls in love with de Glatigny and ultimately betrays her terrorist cell.
- Julien Boisfeuras, Captain - A Franco-Chinese half caste with an expertise in unconventional and political warfare. He spearheads the implementation of torture to end the bombing campaign during the Battle of AlgiersBattle of AlgiersBattle of Algiers or Algiers expedition may refer to:* The Siege of Algiers by Spain leading to the establishment of the Peñón of Algiers* The Capture of Algiers by Aruj Barbarossa* The Capture of Algiers by Hayreddin Barbarossa...
. It has been claimed that he was loosely modeled on Paul AussaressesPaul AussaressesPaul Aussaresses is a retired French Army general, who fought during World War II, the First Indochina War and Algerian War...
, a SDECE captain, although Lartéguy himself stated that Boisfeuras was completely fictitious. - Dia
- Philippe Esclavier, Captain – A composite character, partly modeled on Maurice BarrèsMaurice BarrèsMaurice Barrès was a French novelist, journalist, and socialist politician and agitator known for his nationalist and antisemitic views....
' grandson who fought in the Korean War and was killed in Tunisia. - Jacques de Glatigny, Major – A noble-born former cavalry officer turned paratrooper. Based on Pierre FresnayPierre FresnayPierre Fresnay was a French stage and film actor.Born Pierre Jules Louis Laudenbach in Paris, France in 1897, he was encouraged by his uncle, the actor Claude Garry, to pursue a career in theater and film...
's character in La Grande IllusionGrand Illusion (film)Grand Illusion is a 1937 French war film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who are prisoners of war during World War I and are plotting an escape.The title of the film comes from a...
. - Leroy, Lieutenant
- Mahmoudi, Lieutenant – An Algerian Muslim officer with divided loyalties.
- Yves Marindelle, Lieutenant
- Merle, Lieutenant
- Orsini, Captain
- Pinières, Captain
- Pierre-Noel Raspéguy, Colonel – Born a BasqueBasque peopleThe Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
shepherd, he rose through the ranks to eventually command the 10th Parachute Regiment. The character was modeled on Colonel Marcel BigeardMarcel BigeardMarcel "Bruno" Bigeard was a French military officer who fought in World War II, Indochina and Algeria. He was one of the commanders in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and is thought by many to have been a dominating influence on French 'unconventional' warfare thinking from that time onwards...
.
Reception
The Centurions was highly successful in France at the time of its writing and sold over 420,000 copies. Indochina expert Bernard Fall called it "one of France's greatest bestsellers since World War II." In 1972, the American journal The French ReviewAmerican Association of Teachers of French
The American Association of Teachers of French is a professional organisation for teachers of French in the United States. Teachers may be involved in primary, secondary, or university education...
stated that Lartéguy "almost overnight became something of a household" name in France after its publication, and that during the 1960s, he was one of the most widely-read authors in the nation. It went on to say that Larteguy, beginning with The Centurions, was partly responsible for a revival of novel reading in France where, at the time according to statistics cited from Le Figaro Littéraire
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
, 38% of adults had never read a book.
As American involvement in the Vietnam War increased, it was studied by American officers and Special Forces soldiers. The book regained currency with the onset of the Global War on Terrorism and the insurgency phase of the Iraq War. Since then, it has often been quoted or analyzed in works on counter-insurgency. Some individuals who have either publicly praised The Centurions or quoted it in their own work include:
- Bernard Fall, French war correspondent
- Alistair HorneAlistair HorneSir Alistair Allan Horne is a British historian of modern France. He is the son of Sir James Horne and Lady Auriol Horne ....
, British historian - Robert D. KaplanRobert D. KaplanRobert David Kaplan is an American journalist, currently a National Correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly...
, American writer - Barry McCaffreyBarry McCaffreyBarry Richard McCaffrey is a retired United States Army general, former U.S. Drug Czar, news commentator, and business consultant....
, U.S. Army general - Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army general
- Ralph PetersRalph PetersRalph Peters is a retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel andauthor. As a novelist he has sometimes written under the pen name Owen Parry.-Personal:...
, U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and writer - David PetraeusDavid PetraeusDavid Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
, U.S. Army general - Lewis SorleyLewis SorleyLewis Stone "Bob" Sorley III is an American intelligence analyst and military historian.-Biography:Lewis Sorley was born in 1934, in West Point, New York, the son and grandson of officers in the United States Army who were both also West Point graduates...
, author of A Better War - James StockdaleJames StockdaleVice Admiral James Bond Stockdale was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy.Stockdale led aerial attacks from the carrier during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident...
, U.S. Navy vice admiral and Medal of Honor recipient - Roger TrinquierRoger TrinquierRoger Trinquier was a French Army officer during World War II, the First Indochina War and the Algerian War, serving mainly in airborne and Special forces units...
, French army colonel - Anthony ZinniAnthony ZinniAnthony Charles Zinni is a retired four-star General in the United States Marine Corps and a former Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command...
, U.S. Marine general
Further reading
- What the French Army Needs: A Fighting Man's Ideology, The Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
, February 24, 1962.