They Shall Not Have Me: The Capture, Forced Labor, and Escape of a French Prisoner in World War II

Helion, Jean

ISBN 10: 1611455014 / ISBN 13: 9781611455014

Published by Arcade, 2012

About this Item

The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.

Seller Inventory # BVV.1611455014.G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: They Shall Not Have Me: The Capture, Forced Labor, and Escape of a French Prisoner in World War II
• Publisher: Arcade
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1611455014
• ISBN 13: 9781611455014
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

The French painter Jean Hélion’s unique and deeply moving account of his experiences in Nazi prisoner-of-war camps prefigures the even darker stories that would emerge from the concentration camps. This serious adventure tale begins with Hélion’s infantry platoon fleeing from the German army and warplanes as they advanced through France in the early days of the war. The soldiers chant as they march and run, “They shall not have me!” but are quickly captured and sent to hard labor. 
Writing in English in 1943, after his risky escape to freedom in the United States, Hélion vividly depicts the sights, sounds, and smells of the camps, and shrewdly sizes up both captors and captured. In the deep humanity, humor, and unsentimental intelligence of his observations, we can recognize the artist whose long career included friendships with the likes of Mondrian, Giacometti, and Balthus, and an important role in shaping modern art movements. Hélion’s picture of almost two years without his art is a self-portrait of the artist as a man.

About the Author

Jean Hélion was a noted French modernist painter and author. He was a member of the Free French Forces during World War II. His work later influenced Roy Lichtenstein, Nell Blaine, and Leland Bell. He died in 1987.

Deborah M. Rosenthal, consulting editor for the Artists & Art series, is a New York painter and writer. She is a professor of art in the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Rider University.

Jacqueline Hélion, the widow of the painter, lives in Paris.