An Officer and a Spy (Robert Harris, 2013)

The Dreyfus Affair is endlessly interesting.

I like how the author sets up the context, going back to France's 1870 defeat in the Franco-Prussian war (discussed here, for example), followed immediately by German unification (discussed here, for example).  But he could have gone back further - France perceived itself, more or less accurately, as a unified kingdom going back to the Merovingians, or Carolingians, or however one wants to define it.  Always superior to the German hodge podge.  Until 1870.  Which made these developments all the more distressing to France.

So guess who gets blamed for Germany's late 19th century ascent - in a preview of 1920s-1930s German method (or a throwback to so many situations involving hard economic times or whatever over the centuries) - it's of course those Jewish backstabbers at work, like always.  (Today we call them the 1%ers in a more-than-occasionally analogous setting.)

The strands of anti-Semitism running through French society ran deep, and certainly were not unique to France.  What happened here helps us understand how so many local populations in WWII - with Nazi prodding, or perhaps just being opportunistic - were more cruel to the local Jewish populations than even the Nazis.  (And perhaps helps understand 21st century behaviors - though with the wipe-out of Jews in large swathes of Europe, much of that action takes place in the Middle East (or via Middle Eastern emigrants in European cities).)

Also interesting to think of the manner in which institutions curl up in a defensive posture - a mixture of legitimate concerns and self-interest (to be honest, though, I think we'd have to say the latter motivation typically predominates, heavily).  Government institutions have so much power that their defensive capabilities are pretty frightening.  Secret trials, hiding behind national security considerations, refusal to follow laws and procedures imposed on the rest of society (basic email retention, for a current example), cynically whipping up impressionable citizen-suckers - all the nonsense that goes on to this day, and won't ever stop.

The author chose to tell the story via a novel - and it's interesting throughout, well worth reading, goes by quickly.  Though I would like to know why the novel format was chosen.  The story is sufficiently compelling in its own right and - because the author tells us that he hews very closely to the facts - I was regularly left wondering what was real, and what was added for sake of the novel.  But that's a minor concern that does not detract from the overall worthiness of his effort.

Told through the eyes of Picquart.  Himself from Strasbourg area - bombed by Germany in 1870 with modern efficiency - similar to what happened there courtesy of Allies in World War II as discussed here.  Dreyfus an Alsatian also, which made him an easier target.  Interesting how these pieces fit together.

Role of Emile Zola - PJ and I rather enjoyed watching this movie version of his bio, which I had not realized won an Academy Award for Best Picture.  Rare for a bio, but Paul Muni is pretty talented.

Dreyfus affair captivated French public opinion for a very long time, including many discussions here.

Recommended.