 |
||
| >A Good Man in Evil Timesr>by Jose-Alain FralonR>a non-fiction book review by Dark Typhoid Dave.R>R> "I cannot allow all you people to die. Many of you are Jews, and our constitution clearly states that neither the religion nor the political beliefs of foreigners can be used as a pretext for refusing to allow them to stay in Portugal. I've decided to be faithful to that principle, but I shan't resign for all that. The only way I can respect my faith as a Christian is to act in accordance with the dictates of my conscience." r>r> With these words the Portuguese consul to Bordeaux, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, saved thousands of Jews from the Nazi advance into France by allowing them to escape into neutral Portugal, despite the order from the fascist government of Salazar that Jews would not be permitted into Portugal.r>r> The book describes his background, his diplomatic rise, and his fall into disgrace at the hands of Salazar for disobeying orders and saving Jews. Mendes makes the courageous choice to save lives, discarding his own career and prosperity in the process. r>r> The book is not particularly impassive, possibly because it has been translated from the French, but also because it has been written by a relative who seek a public vindication of Mendes' actions from the Portuguese government. Salazar receives savage, and less than impersonal treatment from the author. Despite this, the story is one which clearly needed to be told, and is an inspirational one.r>r> Jose-Alain Fralon, A Good Man in Evil Times, Penguin Books, 1998 | ||
|
|