Local author publishes WWII historical fiction
By John Gregory
Alain Rolland, a Scripps Ranch resident of 22-years, published his first novel: “Six Years of Absence.” This historical fiction is based on the extraordinary real-life experiences of his father who was a French soldier captured by the Nazis in World War II. The entire odyssey lasted six years.
The novel came about during the COVID pandemic when Rolland was somewhat confined to his home and had a bit of extra time on his hands.
“I was sorting through some old papers and came across pages from my dad which I didn’t know about. … My dad passed away more than 30 years ago. He was in World War II and he never spoke about it,” Rolland said. “I found these pages he had written, and he basically described his journey through the war. It wasn’t in much detail. It was only a couple of pages.”
The writings describe things that happened to his father along with some locations, dates and a few anecdotes, Rolland said.
Initially, Rolland typed up the text and shared it with his siblings. Then he began to realize the story could be an interesting novel if he filled in the gaps.
“The book is a fiction inspired by my dad’s journey through the war,” Rolland said. “I thought this was a good framework, a good basis for a novel. It starts with my dad being enlisted in 1939 in World War II and then going to war and being captured in Dunkirk and then going to (prisoner of war) camps and going through labor camps and forced labor.”
The story follows Alexandre – his father’s real name – who resides in Brittany, France, in 1939. War flares in Europe and Alexandre enlists in the French army. He is assigned to an engineer regiment. His unit is ordered to Belgium, then to Norway. But the Nazis already advanced too far in Norway and his unit returns to France and the beaches of Dunkirk to await evacuation to England. Unfortunately, Alexandre is among those who were left behind and was eventually captured by the enemy.
He is forced to walk to Belgium, then to the Netherlands and is then transported by ship to prison camps in Pomerania. The Russian army eventually liberates the prisoner of war camps as the Red Army advances and Alexandre’s dramatic journey back to France begins.
“When he left in 1939, my oldest brother was just three months old. When my dad came back … my brother was six years old. … That’s six years of missing your family,” Rolland said.
“I think it’s true to the places that he went to and the timing as well. But then I built all the characters around him. … There are a lot of historical events in it,” Rolland said. “I basically followed his footsteps because I personally didn’t know the places he went.”
His father was born in a small town in Brittany on the west coast of France and never traveled before the war.
“He ended up being in the east part of France, which was the first time he had ever been out of Brittany. So, I don’t know these places either,” Rolland said. “I had to do a lot of research to find out about the places he went to on the east part of France, but also Belgium and he went to the Netherlands. … and to what was called Pomerania at that time. Now it’s part of Poland.”
While Rolland’s extensive research of history, geography and culture of the time are included, he also employed clever techniques to round out the tale.
“I tried to find anecdotes or things that were unique to these places so I could put them in the book as well,” Roland said. “I invented a lot of events around that. There are a couple of anecdotes in the book like when he was in forced labor in Pomerania, when he was a prisoner of war. … So, he was playing tricks on the farmers because they were supporting the Nazis … and things like that.”
He also injected additional personality into his characters.
“I tried to make some of the characters more funny. … I was trying to balance the darkness of the time with some of the jokes,” he explained.
The last part of the book describes the liberation of Europe by the allies, as well as Alexandre’s liberation from a prisoner of war camp by the Russians, and his journey home, including all his observations. The author makes it clear that the Nazis retaliated against civilians in France once D-Day had begun, and that the Red Army was not without its share of atrocities as well. In addition, he hopes the story raises awareness of the efforts so many made to save the world during WWII, and also sounds the alarm that history often repeats itself.
Alain Rolland was born and raised in Brittany, France. He earned a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences, and has worked in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry for three decades in the United States.
His book was published in French and in English. It is available as an e-book or paperback. Find “Six Years of Absence – An Endless Confinement” at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and most places books are sold. Visit alain-rolland.com.