The Statement (novel)

The Statement (1995) is a thriller novel by Northern Irish-Canadian writer Brian Moore. Set in the south of France and Paris in the early 1990s, The Statement is the tale of Pierre Brossard, a former officer in the pro-Fascist militia which served Vichy France, and a murderer of Jews. It was published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom in 1995 and by E.P. Dutton in the United States on 1 June 1996.

The Statement
First UK edition (publ. Bloomsbury)
AuthorBrian Moore
GenreThriller novel
PublisherBloomsbury (UK);
E.P. Dutton (U.S.)
Publication date
1995 (UK); 1996 (U.S.)
Preceded byLies of Silence (1990) 
Followed byThe Magician's Wife (1997) 

Plot summary

Now 70 years old, Brossard has spent the better part of his life in hiding, traveling among the monasteries and abbeys that offer him asylum. Though he has evaded capture for decades with the help of the French government and the Catholic Church, now a new breed of government officials is determined to break decades of silence and expose and expiate the crimes of Vichy.

Inspiration

The character of Pierre Brossard in The Statement is inspired by Paul Touvier (1915–1996),[1][2] a French Nazi collaborator who was arrested for war crimes in 1989. After his arrest, charges appeared in the media alleging that Touvier had been protected by the Roman Catholic Church and government officials. In 1994, Touvier became the first Frenchman ever convicted of crimes against humanity,[3] for his participation in the Holocaust under Vichy France.

Critical response

Emma Hagestadt, writing in The Independent, said that "the late Brian Moore's 18th novel is also one of his best – a gripping moral thriller based on the real life story of Paul Touvier, 'the torturer of Lyon'" and described it as "Tautly written and steeped in atmosphere".[1]

Film adaptation

The novel was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Michael Caine. The screenplay was written by Ronald Harwood.[4]

References
  1. Hagestadt, Emma (18 November 2011). "The Statement, By Brian Moore". The Independent. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. Craig, Patricia (writer) (2002). Brian Moore: A Biography. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 255–256. ISBN 0 7475 6844 8.
  3. "Paul Touvier | French war criminal". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  4. "The Statement (2004)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
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