The Mercy of God (French: La Pitié de Dieu) is a 1961 novel by the French writer Jean Cau. It tells the story of four murderers—a doctor, a boxer, a workman and a gambler—who share a prison cell and tell their respective stories. An English translation by Richard Howard was published in 1963.[1]

The Mercy of God
AuthorJean Cau
Original titleLa Pitié de Dieu
TranslatorRichard Howard
LanguageFrench
PublisherÉditions Gallimard
Publication date
29 September 1961
Publication placeFrance
Published in English
1963
Pages275

The novel was awarded the Prix Goncourt.[2]

Reception

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Hans Koningsberger of The Saturday Review called the book "a splendid novel", and wrote: "The tradition of the book is very Sartrian and very French[.] Cau has continued and greatly contributed to this pattern rather than emulated it. The formula may sound pat, the book is fresh and original." The critic continued: "I objected, at least in this translation, to the similarity in speech between four men of such vastly different background, but, apart from that—a minor point—this novel deserves nothing but praise."[3]

References

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  1. ^ The mercy of God. OCLC 837862. Retrieved 2015-08-12 – via WorldCat.
  2. ^ Denis, Jeambar (2003-05-15). "Jean Cau sur le pont". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  3. ^ Koningsberger, Hans (1963-06-03). The Saturday Review. p. 25. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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