July 20; 1894. The German military attaché in Paris receives a visit from a seedy-looking man who claims to be a French army officer in desperate need of money; offering to sell them military secrets.Captain Alfred Dreyfus was a rising star in the French artillery command. Reserved yet intelligent and ambitious; Dreyfus had everything: a family; money; and a clear path to a prestigious post on the General Staff. However; Dreyfus had enemies as a result of his ambition. Many of them came from the impoverished Catholic aristocracy and disliked Dreyfus because he was rich; bourgeois; and; above all; a Jew.On the basis of flimsy evidence; Dreyfus was placed under arrest for the crime of high treason. Not long afterward; he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life on the legendary; lethal Devil's Island. The saga of Dreyfus's many trials-he was not exonerated until 1906; twelve years after first being arrested-the fight to free him; and the intrigues on both sides; is a fast-moving mystery story rife with heroes and villains; loose women; loyal wives; bisexual men; tricksters; and charlatans. But this was no mere sideshow. The anti-Semitism and deceit on display in the Dreyfus case was an ominous prelude to the Holocaust and the long; bloody twentieth century to come.In an era when religious conflict; fierce patriotism; and charged debates over national identity pervade the public sphere; the scandal of Captain Dreyfus still has much to teach us. In the hands of prizewinning novelist; biographer; and narrative historian Piers Paul Read; this real-life morality tale comes alive for a new generation. Using his storytelling skills and a nuanced; deep knowledge of French history; Read rediscovers l'affaire Dreyfus as a rich; riveting tale.
#1593180 in Books 2014-07-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x .90 x 7.99l; 1.93 #File Name: 1604978562444 pages
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