About this ebook
This was the third novel of Arthur Koestler's trilogy on ends and means - the other two are THE GLADIATORS and DARKNESS AT NOON - and the first he wrote in English. The central theme is the conflict between morality and expediency, and in this novel Koestler worked it out in terms of individual psychology. Peter Slavek starts out as a brave young revolutionary, but suffers a breakdown. On the analyst's couch he is made to discover, in Koestler's own words, 'that his crusading zeal was derived from unconscious guilt'.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
2 reviews
A Google user
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October 5, 2012
This thrilogy by Kostler are a fantastic read and great they are easily obtained now. When I read these 10+ years ago they were banned in many countries. I hope they are rediscovered. Far exceeds Orwells work and highly recommended. Insightful and thought provoking.
About the author
Arthur Koestler was born in Budapest in 1905. He attended the university of Vienna before working as a foreign correspondent in the Middle East, Berlin and Paris. For six years he was an active member of the Communist Party, and was captured by Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In 1940 he came to England. He died in 1983 by suicide, having frequently expressed a belief in the right to euthanasia.
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