Summary of Jules and Jim
“Jules and Jim” recounts the story of the friendship between two young men, Jim and Jules, in the free-spirited Paris of the 1910s, and their mutual love for a clever yet faithless woman called Kate. Kate ends up marrying Jules, but later they form a romantic trio.
Reasons to read Jules and Jim
“Jules and Jim” is one of literature’s most renowned depictions of a ‘ménage à trois’, set in Belle Époque Paris of the early 20th century. The author, Henri-Pierre Roché, a French art critic and collector, published this novel when he was over 70 years old. It was one of two autobiographical works he published, together with “Two English Girls and the Continent”. Both novels were adapted into iconic ‘Nouvelle Vague’ films by François Truffaut. “Jules and Jim” draws inspiration from Roché’s own friendship with the German writer Franz Hessel and his infatuation with Hessel’s wife, Helen Grund. They were the parents of Stéphane Hessel, the French diplomat and author of the essays “Indignez-vous” (translated as “Time for Outrage!”) and “Engagez-vous” (“Get Involved!”).
Setting: Paris (France)
Original title: Jules et Jim
Year of publication: 1953
Nr of pages: 240
