''The Break'' () is a 1957 novel by the French writer

José Giovanni José Giovanni (22 June 1923, Paris, France – 24 April 2004, Lausanne, Switzerland) was the pseudonym of Joseph Damiani, a French writer and film-maker of Corsican origin who became a naturalized Swiss citizen in 1986. A former collaborationi ...

. It is based on a real escape attempt from the

La Santé Prison La Santé Prison (named after its location on the Rue de la Santé) (french: Maison d'arrêt de la Santé or ) is a prison operated by the French Prison Service of the Ministry of Justice located in the east of the Montparnasse district of the ...

in 1947. It was Giovanni's

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

. An English translation by Robin Campbell was published in 1960.

Adaptation

The book was adapted by

Jacques Becker Jacques Becker (; 15 September 1906 – 21 February 1960) was a French film director and screenwriter. His films, made during the 1940s and 1950s, encompassed a wide variety of genres, and they were admired by some of the filmmakers who led th ...

into the film '' The Hole''. The film starred

Michel Constantin Michel Constantin (born Constantin Hokhloff, 13 July 1924 – 29 August 2003) was a French film actor. Biography Born to a Russian father and a Polish mother in Billancourt (near Paris), Constantin made his first film appearance in 1956. Hi ...

Jean Keraudy Jean Keraudy (1920–2001) was the stage name of Roland Barbat, a French prisoner, later came to fame playing himself in the French film The Hole (1960 film), ''The Hole'' (French: ''Le Trou''). He was one of five inmates involved in a 1947 esc ...

(an ex-convict who performed as a character based on himself) and Philippe Leroy. It premiered on 18 March 1960.

References

1957 novels French crime novels French-language novels French novels adapted into films Novels set in prison Works by José Giovanni {{1950s-crime-novel-stub