The Young European

Originally published in France consecutively in 1927 and 1928, The Young European and Geneva or Moscow together represent Pierre Drieu La Rochelle's attempt to wrestle with what it means to be European on a continent seemingly hell-bent on tearing itself apart. Born to a middle-class family in Normandy, Drieu lived a short but eventful life traveling throughout the European continent. A few years after dropping out of school, he fought in the Great War for his native France. Having been wounded himself three times, Drieu witnessed firsthand what he saw as the self-destruction of Europe, which would inform much of his thoughts during the interwar period. Drieu would later go on to collaborate with the Germans in WW2, participating in the formation of Vichy France. The Young European, loosely based on Drieu's own experiences, tracks an adventurous, womanizing young man from a first-person perspective in the form of a poetic novel. The author's stand-in struggles with his desire to