Bidspirit auction | Jean Laffitte - Rose France

Jean Laffitte - Rose France - A Dramatic Story Set in France under Nazi Occupation - First German Edition - Rose France, by the French writer and Resistance member Jean Laffitte. Volk und Welt, Berlin, 1956 - First German edition, translated by Paul Schlicht. Extremely rare - only one copy recorded in a library in Shanghai. An important publication dealing with France under Nazi occupation during the Second World War, focusing on the life of a young French woman named Rose France, who is involved in underground activity against the Germans. The novel combines everyday life in occupied France, an atmosphere of fear and surveillance, and the activities of the French Resistance (Résistance), together with human relationships and a love story that unfolds amid the realities of war. The story opens in Bordeaux at the end of 1941. A young teacher named Marie Vernon arrives at a new school and arouses curiosity among those around her, both because of her mysterious behavior and because of her fearless nocturnal movements during curfew hours. It later becomes clear that she is connected with underground activities against the German occupation. The book was written from the ideological perspective of a Communist Resistance member. Within the personal story are embodied the anti-fascist struggle and the solidarity of underground fighters engaged in a just war in a hostile environment. The author himself was an active member of the Resistance, was arrested by the French Vichy police, sent to Mauthausen, and survived the camps; consequently, the details throughout the book and its characters are, in fact, drawn from genuine experiences during the years of occupation. Jean Laffitte (1911–2004) was a key figure in the history of twentieth-century France. He was a French Communist and a prominent political activist. During the Second World War, following the Nazi occupation of France, he became one of the organizers of the French Resistance (Résistance) in the Paris region. In 1943, he was captured by the Gestapo and sent to concentration camps in Germany. He survived the harsh conditions of several camps, including Mauthausen. His experiences there became the basis for much of his later writing, which dealt primarily with testimonies from the concentration camps and the heroism of Resistance fighters. After the war, he served for many years as Secretary-General of the World Peace Council. Extremely rare. Only one copy of this German edition is recorded in the WorldCat global library catalogue, held by a library in Shanghai. 289, [1] pages. Hardcover with the illustrated Art Deco-style dust jacket. Complete and in very good condition. Minor tear to the title page (restored).