Third Lie: The Boyhood Trilogy

Author: [Hungarian] Agota Kristof
Translator: Jian Yiling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-01-01
Features: This book is composed of the famous "Trilogy of the Wicked Child" — The Diary of a Wicked Child, The Double Evidence, and The Third Lie. Darker than darkness, truer than innocence, the diary of a wicked child in a world of contrasts. Their cruelty is rooted in innocence, their misdeeds are at odds with the world. It is unparalleled in imagination and shock, a rare classic worth reading repeatedly. With simple and accessible language, it forges a sharp, chilling sword that points directly at the primitive face of humanity. — France Soir
The wars of humanity have left behind not only absurdity and pain but also literature. Many writers have created novels on the themes of war and genocide, as it is one of the most tragic wounds in modern human history. The Trilogy of the Wicked Child is set against the backdrop of Central Europe during the war, presenting the distorted human nature and unspeakable pain of humanity in war through a calm yet enigmatic style. Agota Kristof's masterful storytelling technique makes the three books independent yet interconnected, creating a dreamlike and fantastical literary world. The Trilogy of the Wicked Child thus shines brightly, becoming a notable work of the 20th century.
Those who have lived through war may find it difficult to tell stories in conventional ways. World War II broke out, and in the midst of the flames, a pair of genius twin brothers miraculously survived. They were handsome and exceptionally intelligent, witnessing the bloody hell of humanity in the war, learning the laws of survival. One after another, scenes of savagery, strangeness, and cruelty were presented to the readers in a raw and unfiltered manner.
After the war, the twin brothers grew up and separated. One went to a foreign land, while the other remained in his homeland, living in a closed border town. He dedicated himself to helping the unfortunate people around him, yet the truly terrifying misfortune was slowly approaching him step by step.
The Berlin Wall fell, and the long-separated twin brothers finally reunited. However, the distance between them could never be bridged. What did they encounter during their years of separation? Could the two brothers break free from this tragic nightmare?
Agota Kristof excels at using a uniquely cold and detached tone in highly emotional themes. If her writing style is compared to that of Camus, her craftsmanship surpasses Camus; it is also colder and more Baroque than Chekhov's style, reflecting a Baroque aesthetic. In The Trilogy of the Wicked Child, Agota Kristof writes almost entirely in a factual manner, without emotional expression or moral judgment. She has the twins in the book practice writing essays like this: "If we write that the messenger was kind, it doesn't necessarily mean it's true... We simply write 'The messenger gave us two blankets.'"
Some have described this book as "a thrilling, cold black novel." The coldness of the book comes from its absurd lack of moral judgment toward anything or anyone, which is also the author's profound condemnation of the horrors of war. The Trilogy of the Wicked Child can be said to be Agota Kristof's three books, each telling the same story in three different versions, with each book (the three) being distinct, and the timeline seemingly continuing. But when compared side by side, readers will find that every plot that occurred in the previous book has been twisted and changed in the next, making them want to return to the previous book to check the characters' situations.
Only when you return to the previous book do you realize you've been deceived. Many events "might" have never happened; those "might" were merely the fantasies of the characters or the work of the novel. Only at this point do we realize we are reading the history and war of humanity through the wounded hearts of one or two lonely boys. All the twisted timelines, all the crowds behaving like animals (we all know they were Jews), all the escapes across borders and returns to the homeland — these are the lives seen by the boy at war.
Only by stepping into this carefully crafted maze of the author can we, readers at ease in a peaceful era, gain some understanding of the wounded souls in war.
When these three books were first published in Taiwan, they caused a sensation and were repeatedly selected by the media as recommended books. The publisher later released a combined edition, compiling the three books into one. In the early 21st century, when ethnic cleansing still exists in Eastern Europe and the Arab world continues to clash with the West, the publication of this book may offer some inspiration to Taiwanese readers.