The Gods are Athirst

‘The Gods Are Athirst’ (1912) is Nobel laureate Anatole France’s captivating
fictional reimagining of the bloody events of the French Revolution. Gamelin,
a young idealistic painter who works with his local government in Pont-Neuf
finds himself at the epicentre of the Terror when he is appointed as a juror
on the Revolutionary Tribunal. Swept through a procession of unjust trials,
Gamelin must reckon with his actions as he determines the fates of those
closest to him. As he turns drunk with power and vengeance, Gamelin’s actions
set forth a violent and horrific chain of events that end only with blood.
‘The Gods Are Athirst’ is a brilliant but horrifying depiction of how fear and
a warped sense of justice only serve to bring chaos. A masterpiece in its own
right, ‘The Gods Are Athirst’ is an essential read for anyone interested in
French history or looking for a gripping tale of the fall of the man and the
cost of vengeance. François-Anatole Thibault (1844 – 1924), better known as
Anatole France, was a French journalist, poet, novelist, and Nobel laureate
for literature. Spending much of his early life in his father’s bookshop,
France quickly rose to prominence as a respected author of over 25 works. A
French Classicist writer with a style reminiscent of Voltaire and Fénélon,
France’s work has a strong preoccupation with scepticism and hedonism. He is
best remembered for his classic French novels ‘La Rôtisserie de la Reine
Pédauque’ (1893) and ‘Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard’ (1881). France’s works
have had an historic legacy, and he is recognised today as one of France’s
most prominent authors.