Les Éditions du Pacifique
29, rue des trois bornes,
75011 Paris, France
+(33) 1 42 22 48 63
bonjour@leseditionsdupacifique.com
20.50€
Plunge into a little-known episode of the Vietnam War with ‘Les Oreilles de jungle’ by the illustrious Pierre Boulle. First published in 1972, this reissue is enhanced by the magnificent illustrations from the Atelier Louvero.
It’s 1968, and the Americans have finally located the Ho Chi Minh Trail through which North Vietnamese forces supply the South. Their strategy involves dispersing sensors camouflaged in the jungle with their plant-like appearance. The goal? To monitor any suspicious movements. However, Vietnamese ingenuity soon counters American technology. A secret war erupts in the heart of the Indochinese jungle, a game of cat and mouse.
In this novel, Pierre Boulle employs pervasive humor to recount a unique episode of the Vietnam conflict. He provides a visionary perspective on a secret program that would only be revealed years later. With his profound knowledge of Indochina, he subtly reveals how the Americans won battles while losing the war.
Pierre Boulle’s unique style is complemented by the captivating illustrations from the Atelier Louvero. In this book, each sketch adds a visual dimension to a novel already rich in detail. A feast for the eyes and the mind!
‘Les Oreilles de jungle’ is an enlightening and indispensable work. It unveils the subtlety of the Vietnamese against American expansionism. Discover the Vietnam War in a different light with this timeless and humanistic work that should not be missed.”
Atelier Louvero is a creative studio based in Paris. It is run by an illustrator who graduated from the École des Arts Appliqués, Olivier de Serres, and the École Boulle. She is passionate about graphic arts, illustration, and travel journals. You can find them on Instagram: @atelierlouvero
At Éditions du Pacifique, they are the illustrators of The ears of the jungle.
Pierre Boulle, born on February 20, 1912, in Avignon and died on January 30, 1994, in Paris, was a French writer famous for his adventure and science fiction novels. Born into a bourgeois family, he developed an early taste for nature, hunting, and fishing, which fueled his love of adventure. After studying engineering at Supélec, he went to work in Malaysia on a rubber plantation, an experience that would inspire several of his novels, notably Le Sacrilège malais (The Malay Sacrilege).
During World War II, he joined the Resistance in Southeast Asia and joined the Free French Forces under the identity of Peter John Rule. Captured by French soldiers loyal to the Vichy regime, he was sentenced to hard labor, but escaped and joined Force 136 in Calcutta. These experiences inspired his novel The Bridge on the River Kwai, adapted for the cinema by David Lean in 1957.
After the war, Boulle devoted himself to writing. Between 1950 and 1992, he published nearly one book a year, exploring different genres: adventure, storytelling, fantasy, science fiction, and social criticism. His most famous work remains Planet of the Apes (1963), which was adapted for the cinema and became a global franchise.
Boulle skillfully blended humor, humanism, and critical observation of society in his books, successfully navigating between fiction and personal memories.
He is the author of Le Sacrilège malais (The Malay Sacrilege) and Les Oreilles de jungle (The Jungle Ears), published by Éditions du Pacifique.
