Schlobin Selections #2: Atlantida: (L’Atlantide) by Pierre Benoit, translated by Mary C. Tongue and Mary Ross

Atlantida: (L’Atlantide) by Pierre Benoit (1886-1962), translated by Mary C. Tongue and Mary Ross

Over the next several weeks, we will be highlighting a select number of titles and authors from the James H. and Virginia Schlobin Literature of the Fantastic Collection. Established in 2004 by East Carolina University English Professor Roger C. Schlobin, the James H. and Virginia Schlobin Literature of the Fantastic Collection provides scholarly materials to researchers and students interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy literature. The collection consists of over 3,700 individual books, mostly primary literature in the form of novels, and collected short narratives with some additional secondary literature and scholarly criticism related to the various genres that are represented. The James H. and Virginia Schlobin Literature of the Fantastic Collection also has a related manuscripts collection which consists of nearly 5 cubic feet of materials which can be accessed here.

Title: Atlantida: (L’Atlantide)
Author: Pierre Benoit
Translated by: Mary C. Tongue and Mary Ross
Publisher: Duffield & Co.
Publication Date: 1920
Page Count: 192
Call Number: PQ2603.E583 A813 1920

Originally published in France in 1919, Pierre Benoit’s (1886-1962) fantasy novel Atlantida (translated from the French title L’Atlantide) was translated into English by Mary C. Tongue and Mary Ross and republished in 1920. Atlantida is set in the French Sahara in 1896 and tells the story of officers André de Saint-Avit and Jean Morhange. Tasked with investigating the disappearance of several of their fellow officers, Saint-Avit and Morhange are eventually kidnapped by a Cegheir-ben-Cheikh, a Targui warrior who is working for Queen Antinea. Antinea, who is referred to both as the granddaughter of Neptune and Clito, the fabled last Kings of Atlantis, as well as a descendant of Cleopatra VII Philopator of Egypt, has the French officers brought to her royal palace in Atlantis. Benoit describes Atlantis as “a royal palace hidden inside a mountain, overlooking a beautiful palm oasis, itself surrounded by the unbreachable Hoggar mountains.” Upon their arrival, Saint-Avit and Morhange discover an underground mausoleum made of red marble. Inside the chamber is a grand, ornate throne surrounded by 120 alcoves that had been cut into the rock walls. Saint-Avit and Morhange observe that 53 of these alcoves were filled with the bodies of men, all of whom had been labeled, numbered, and preserved forever after being “dipped into a metallic bath of sulfate of orichalcum, the famous, legendary metal of the Atlanteans.” These were the former lovers of Antinea, who after the Queen had become bored of them, willingly ended their lives rather than live without her love. Saint-Avit and Morhange were told that once all 120 of the alcoves were filled with the remnants of her lovers, Antietam would rest on her throne for the rest of eternity. 

Upon meeting the Queen of Atlantis, Saint-Avit succumbs to her presence and powers like those before him, but Morhange scorns her attempts at seduction. Spurned by her next potential victim, Antinea orders Saint-Avit to murder his colleague. After unknowingly doing Antinea’s bidding, Saint-Avit escapes the control of Antinea with the help of the Queen’s enslaved servant Tanit-Zerga. Years later, after being suspected of murdering Morhange by military leadership, Saint-Avit shares his story of what really happened in Atlantis with a fellow officer upon assuming command of the small fort of Hassi-Inifel in the Sahara. 

Pierre Benoit (1886-1962) on his reception at the Académie française in 1932. Image Source: Agence de presse Meurisse – Bibliothèque nationale de France

Atlantida: (L’Atlantide) was Benoit’s second of his forty-two novels published and is considered by many literary scholars to be the author’s best work. Inspired by both the Berber queen Tin Hinan as well as Benoit’s own experiences, he had resided in both Tunisia and Algeria while his father served in the French military before serving in the French army himself, Atlantida: (L’Atlantide) would go on to win the 1919 Le Grand Prix du Roman, a literary award given annually since 1914 by the Académie Française (French Academy). Atlantida: (L’Atlantide) has also been the inspiration for eight films that are adaptations of Benoit’s work. In 2005, Bison Books republished a facsimile of the 1920 English translation of Benoit’s novel under the new title Queen of Atlantis

Despite his literary fame, Benoit’s life and work were not without controversy. After the release of Atlantida: (L’Atlantide), Benoit was accused of plagiarizing H. Rider Haggard’s 1887 novel She. Insulted by the claim, Benoit sued the author of the accusing article, Henry Magden, for libel. Despite his claims that his work was based on his own research and experiences, as well as his claim that he was unable to read or speak the English language, thus he could not have read Haggard’s work, Benoit lost the libel case. This accusation of plagiarism has continued to taint the legacy of Atlantida: (L’Atlantide) throughout the 21st century, despite no solid evidence that Benoit ever actually did anything wrong. Benoit himself would find his name and legacy impacted once more when he joined the “Groupe Collaboration” during the Nazi Occupation of France between 1940 and 1944. Described by historians as a “pro-Nazi group of artists and intellectuals,” the “Groupe Collaboration” consisted of many influential French artists, writers, and intellectuals who are considered to have been Nazi sympathizers. Because of his involvement in this organization, Benoit was arrested in September 1944, and despite his imprisonment only lasting for six months, his novels and other works were blacklisted by French society for years after the war ended.

Read previous entries from Schlobin Selections here.

Sources:

• Flower, John. Historical Dictionary of French Literature. Scarecrow Press, 2013.
• “L’Atlantide by Pierre Benoit.” The French World Newton Universe. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/atlantide.htm.
• Littlejohn, David. The Patriotic Traitors: A History of Collaboration in German-Occupied Europe, 1940-45. London: Heinemann, 1972.
• “Queen of Atlantis (L’atlantide), by Pierre Benoit.” Vintage Pop Fictions, October 24, 2011. http://vintagepopfictions.blogspot.com/2011/10/queen-of-atlantis-latlantide-by-pierre.html.