 English language hardcover edition | |
| Author | Laurent Binet |
|---|---|
| Translator | Sam Taylor |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Grasset & Fasquelle |
Publication date | 2010 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 2012 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 440 |
| ISBN | 978-2-246-76001-6 |
HHhH is thedebut novel of French authorLaurent Binet, published in 2010 by Grasset & Fasquelle. The book is ametafictional novel depictingOperation Anthropoid, the assassination of Nazi leaderReinhard Heydrich inPrague duringWorld War II, along with the writing of the novel. The novel was awarded the 2010Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman.[1]
The novel follows the history of the operation and the lives of its protagonists—Reinhard Heydrich and his assassinsJozef Gabčík andJan Kubiš. It is interlaced with the author's account of the process of researching and writing the book, his commentary about other literary and media treatments of the subject, and reflections about the extent to which the behavior of real people may of necessity be fictionalised in a historical novel.[1][2][3]
The novel's editor requested the cut of about twenty pages criticizingJonathan Littell'sLes Bienveillantes, another novel about the SS in World War II that was awarded thePrix Goncourt in 2006.[4]The Millions published the "missing pages" in 2012.[5]
The title is an initialism forHimmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich ("Himmler's brain is called Heydrich"), a quip about Heydrich inSS circles.[6] The title was suggested by Binet's publisher,Grasset, instead of the "toosci-fi" working titleOpération Anthropoïde.
HHhH was written in French and has been translated into more than twenty languages.[7] The English translation bySam Taylor was published in the US byFarrar, Straus and Giroux on 24 April 2012 and in the UK byHarvill Secker on 3 May 2012.
Cédric Jimenez directed an English-language film adaptation of the novel, released in the United States asThe Man with the Iron Heart. It starredJason Clarke,Rosamund Pike,Mia Wasikowska,Jack O'Connell andJack Reynor.[8]
Dutch public broadcasterVPRO produced a documentary television series adaption in 2017.[9]
Culture Critic assessed critical response as an aggregated score of 80%.[10]