Man's Fate (La Condition Humaine)

Man's Fate was first published in 1933. As a fictional account of the early days of the Chinese Revolution, this novel remains a powerful expression of psychological insight into the spirit of political revolution. From the opening scene, in which Chinese terrorist Ch'en Ta Erh struggles internally over his task of assassinating a sleeping man, Malraux combines gritty action with an elaboration of the existential principle that social change is powered by the actions of individuals.