Wartime Lies A Novel [Paperback]

"Extraordinary...Rich in irony and regret...[the] people and settings are vividly realized and his prose [is] compelling in its simplicity."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
As the world slips into the throes of war in 1939, young Maciek's once closetted existence outside Warsaw is no more. When Warsaw falls, Maciek escapes with his aunt Tania. Together they endure the war, running, hiding, changing their names, forging documents to secure their temporary lives—as the insistent drum of the Nazi march moves ever closer to them and to their secret wartime lies.Louis Begley’snovels includeKill and Be Killed;Killer, Come Hither;Memories of a Marriage;Schmidt Steps Back;Matters of Honor;Shipwreck;Schmidt Delivered;Mistler’s Exit;About Schmidt;As Max Saw It;The Man Who Was Late; andWartime Lies, which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Irish Times/Aer Lingus International Fiction Prize. His work has been translated into fourteen languages. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

1. InWartime Lies,the religious tension is evident from the
very beginning as Maciek tells his tale. What events occur
that mark the increasing tension from Maciek’s perspective?

2. The passages from the perspective of “the man with sad
eyes” are meticulously placed throughout the novel. Using
your “sympathy and imagination,” what links can you draw
between the content of these passages and the moment in
Maciek’s life they interrupt?

3. In chapter four, Maciek punches Pan Wladek in the
chest. Why does he react so violently to the accusation
(made most likely as a partial jest) that he has been “evil” by
cheating?

4. Louis Begley mentioned that Dante could be considered
“the greatest connoisseur of evil.” In what ways does Dante
and hisInfernol£Ç