Faut-il être fou pour être un homme juste ?

About the Role

In June 1940, appalled by an Europe losing its principles and his master Salazar who had none, a man decided to defy Circular No. 14 of November 11, 1939, signed by Lisbon's strongman. This circular excluded Jews from obtaining refugee visas on the grounds that they were "enemies of the Germans," against whom Salazar wanted to remain neutral. The Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux issued tens of thousands of visas in a frenzied pace over a few days, saving countless lives from barbarism, massacre, and oblivion. He lost his position, rank, salary, friends, future, and eventually died in a hospice, poor and abandoned.

The Consul's Dilemma

Salim Bachi portrays Aristides de Sousa Mendes not as a confident savior but as a dedicated consul who hesitates and endures torment before resigning himself to disobedience. His decision stems from deep faith, his self-image and that of his country, encounters, and the pressure of thousands of refugees pleading at his door. The Consul's choice comes after a long internal conflict, influenced by both his convictions and external contingencies.

The Human Behind the Hero

Bachi's Consul is not the proud, determined figure typical of superhero narratives. Instead, he is a man who regrets not his actions but their consequences on his family: ruined, disjointed, and tarnished by an incomprehensible dishonor. This is exacerbated by Salazar's obsessive, manipulative, and destructive presence in Aristides' life, culminating in Salazar claiming credit for saving Jews while persecuting the man who actually saved them.

The Power of Literature

By turning Sousa Mendes' story into a novel, Bachi elevates it to a philosophical tale. The Consul's question, "Must one be mad to be just?" resonates throughout the book, reflecting on the nobility of the soul amidst baseness. The novel delves into Sousa Mendes' private life—his frivolous yet cautious consulship, the loss of his children, and his relationship with his mistress—culminating in the sublime portrayal of his son Manuel's death.

Universal Themes

Bachi's work transcends historical context, addressing universal human themes amplified by the Nazi onslaught. Through Sousa Mendes' brother and the Consul himself, the novel explores the tension between justice and conformity, the role of literature in achieving universality, and the enduring question of what it means to be just in a world rife with injustice.

In the end, the novel leaves us with a profound reflection on the nature of justice, morality, and the human condition, encapsulated in the Consul's final musings on the futility of judgment when justice itself is compromised.