The Devil In France: My Encounter with Him in the Summer of 1940 / The Devil in France
is novelist Lion Feuchtwanger’s memoir of exile and
internment during World War II. Published in 1941, his account blends
vivid descriptions of the Les Milles internment camp with reflections about
humanity and survival. He recounts the cosmic apathy of the French officials
and the absurdity of his situation. A well-known critic of the Nazi regime,
he was first imprisoned because of French fears about German aggression.
This meant he was interned at Les Milles along with Nazi sympathizers
and spies. Vivid in Feuchtwanger’s memoir are the physical world of the
camp—a hot, dusty, abandoned brickyard—and the wit and optimism
that enabled him to cope with the uncertainty and seeming hopelessness
of his plight.
