The Tragic Innocents (French: Tarendol) is a 1946 novel by the French writer René Barjavel. It tells the story of two teenagers, Jean Tarendol and Marie Margherite, who fall in love in occupied France during World War II. The story is set in an imaginary region inspired by the author's native Drôme. The book was published in English in 1948, translated by Eithne Wilkins.[1]

The Tragic Innocents
First edition
AuthorRené Barjavel
Original titleTarendol
TranslatorEithne Wilkins
Cover artistJ. Buckland-Wright
LanguageFrench
PublisherÉditions Denoël
Publication date
1946
Publication placeFrance
Published in English
1948 Hamish Hamilton
Pages425

Reception

edit

Kirkus Reviews wrote: "This is a story of young love, set in war-time France, poetic, passionately written, with much of beauty -- and yet with an aura of unreality, which perhaps is intentional, in keeping with the mood of the lovers. ... An odd blend of sophistication, of Gallic outspokenness, with a simplicity, almost a naivete, makes this unique in its field. Beautifully translated by Eithne Wilkins, the English text loses nothing of the grace of language."[2]

Adaptation

edit

The novel was adapted into a 1980 television serial with the same title directed by Louis Grospierre. The serial ran in four episodes starring Jacques Penot as Jean, Florence Pernel as Marie and Daniel Gélin as Bazalo.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ The tragic innocents;. OCLC 3633894. Retrieved 2015-05-27 – via WorldCat.
  2. ^ Staff writer (1949-06-02). "The Tragic Innocents by Rene Barjavel". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
  3. ^ "Tarendol". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 2015-05-27.