French Literature Reviews - 2026

Anne Mathieu, Sur les routes du poison nazi. Reporters et reportrices de l'Anschluss à Munich
History, Politics and Society

From the foreboding suppression of "Red Vienna" to the Nazi victory in the Saarland plebiscite, this book guides us along the roads paved by Nazi poison. The year is 1938: perils are multiplying across every corner of Europe. Austria is annexed by Nazi Germany, and the Munich Agreement is signed on September 30. Finally, on March 15, 1939, it is Bohemia-Moravia's turn to be annexed by Hitler.

Reporters—both male and female—are present on the ground, from annexed Austria to valiant Prague, from the Nazified Sudetenland to borders threatened by Hitler’s expansionist ambitions, taking us also into Belgium, Switzerland, and Alsace. Anne Mathieu immerses us in a geographical region where the destiny of Europe was being decided. For this pioneering study, she has examined dozens of periodicals and cataloged, for the first time, all the reporting and written accounts on this subject from the political left. With this book, she continues the work she began on the Spanish Civil War (Nous n'oublierons pas les poings levés, 2020) and reaffirms the standing and political significance of reporting in journalism.

One cannot help but draw parallels with contemporary conflicts and tensions, and the vital role that reporters play within them. Sur les routes du poison nazi is a valuable contribution to political, cultural, and social history that also sheds light on current events.

Anne Mathieu traces how journalists bore witness to the expansionist aggression of the Nazi regime across vulnerable European territories between the suppression of Red Vienna and the annexation of Bohemia-Moravia. Examining dozens of periodicals from the political left, the author foregrounds eyewitness accounts from Austria, the Sudetenland, and neighboring borderlands. This rigorous historical inquiry follows her previous work on the Spanish Civil War, Nous n'oublierons pas les poings levés, continuing her commitment to documenting the vital and enduring political significance of journalism during times of crisis.

This volume serves as an essential resource for students and scholars of political, cultural, and social history interested in the interwar period and the mechanics of totalitarian expansion. By highlighting the courage and dedication of both male and female reporters on the ground, Mathieu invites modern readers to reflect upon the enduring parallels between historical upheavals and contemporary geopolitical tensions. It will particularly appeal to those seeking a deeper understanding of how the press engages with rising authoritarianism and the defense of democratic values.