''Scum of the Earth'' is a memoir by Anglo-Hungarian writer

Arthur Koestler Arthur Koestler, (, ; ; hu, Kösztler Artúr; 5 September 1905 – 1 March 1983) was a Hungarian-born author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria. In 1931, Koestler join ...

in which he describes his life in France during 1939-1940, the chaos that prevailed in France just prior to the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and France’s collapse, his tribulations, internment in a concentration camp, and eventual escape to England, via

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and Portugal. It was first published by

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death in 1960. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard set up the publishing house in 1921. They established a reputation ...

in 1941.

Background

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Koestler was living in the South of France working on ''

Darkness at Noon ''Darkness at Noon'' (german: link=no, Sonnenfinsternis) is a novel by Hungarian-born novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940. His best known work, it is the tale of Rubashov, an Old Bolshevik who is arrested, imprisoned, and tried f ...

''. After retreating to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

he was imprisoned by the French as an undesirable alien, even though he had been a respected anti-fascist. Koestler arrived in England in December 1940, without an entry permit, travelling with a Hungarian passport. Although he was by then widely known as an anti-fascist he was imprisoned as an enemy alien while his case was being reviewed by the Home Office. While he was in

Pentonville Prison HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury ar ...

in London, his novel ''Darkness at Noon'' was being published in England. It would become his most influential and well-known book. Upon his release in January 1941, Koestler immediately enlisted in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. Over the following three months, while waiting for his call-up papers and army posting, he wrote ''Scum of the Earth.'' The book was well received and had glowing reviews. This was the first book that Koestler wrote in English. In the preface to the 1955 edition, after explaining the circumstances under which the book was written, he acknowledges the book’s shortcomings:

Reception

''Scum'' earned several positive reviews: “A memorable story, vivid, powerful and deeply searching” – ''The Times Literary Supplement'' “This is a book in a thousand, by far the best book to come out of the collapse of France” – ''The Guardian'' “Koestler’s personal history of France at War. It is, I think, the finest book that has come out of that cauldron” – ''New York Herald Tribune''

References

{{Arthur Koestler Books by Arthur Koestler Memoirs of imprisonment British autobiographies Arthur Koestler 1941 non-fiction books British non-fiction books Jonathan Cape books Eland Books books