Bells of Basle

See also: Basle (homonymy)

the Bells of Basle is a novel of Louis Aragon published in 1934, it was modified in 1964, because like the author says it: “… the novel is remained the same one, but the eyes changed. The new reader ignores a crowd of still alive things, in margin of the text, thirty years ago. ” This novel inaugurates, with those which make him continuation: the beautiful quarters, travellers of imperial the, Aurélien, and the Communists, the cycle of the Real-world; it engages Louis Aragon on the ways of the socialist Réalisme.

“When Guy called Mr. Romanet dad that made laugh nobody. ” As often the first sentence of a novel of Aragon of extreme importance, this one is undoubtedly referred to the situation of the author him even, wire illegitimate of a high-ranking person of the third Republic, Mr. Andrieux. The novel is however especially the history of three women: Diane the aristocrat, Catherine the feminist and Clara Zetkin, real character, the militant German Socialist.

The family of Diane, of ruined minor nobility, accepts without too much state of heart the many ones “been engaged”, more and more rich person, of the young woman; as for Catherine Simonidzé, they are the accounts - checks, more or less regular, of his/her father, producer of oil in Bakou, which enable him to live in idleness, while trying to include/understand these foreigners who for them the workers are, in particular Victor taxi driver in strike. Diane, Catherine, Victor, their stories are developed independently then meet and intersect to Basle, where in 1912 the Congress is held of the socialist parties for peace, there, Brunel, the husband of Diane, deposed usurer reconverted in secret agent binds with Jean Jaurès. Indeed throughout the novel mix real characters, politicians, industrialists, police officers, trade unionists of the Third Republic, and characters imaginary. In backdrop pass from the events of the time: the strike of the clock making workmen of Cluses or that of the Parisian taxi drivers of 1911-1912, the burial with the Lachaise Father of the husbands Lafargue (Paul socialist militant and Laura, girl of Karl Marx), businesses of Morocco or Balkans, crimes of the band with Bonnot.

The “beautiful time” thus evoked, where parasitism and social movement are entrechoquent, marks the end of a world; but to write in 1934 isn't such a novel also premonition of another world drama which soon will start? The “heavy song” of the bells of Basle would apply thus to the two periods. “The chime of Basle is not merry: it is a voice of alarm which resounded since the Middle Ages to announce many dangers and of the wars… a voice of despair and panic. ”

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