The first in Hughes's intended epic sequence of novels, The Human Predicament, centres on Augustine, unjustly suspected of involvement in the murder of a young girl. Taking refuge in the remote castle of Bavarian relatives, his hopeless love for his devout cousin Mitzi blinds him to the hate that will lead to the rise of German fascism. The climax is a brilliant description of the Munich putsch and a disturbingly intimate portrait of Adolf Hitler.
(Jeremy Miller - bwl 58 Autumn 2010 ) |
