In this first full-length study of his work, Margaret Atack surveys not only Vilar’s novels but also his shorter fiction, journalism, photobooks, and contributions to art and exhibition catalogues. From the ludic, if entirely serious, assassinations of political art in his first prize-winning novel C'est toujours les autres qui meurent, to the devastating unreality of massacre and extermination, Vilar’s work constitutes a distinctive and important commentary on the murderous twentieth century.

Margaret Atack is Professor of French at the University of Leeds.