Books: Book of Lamentations

THE LAST OF THE JUST (374 pp.)—André Schwarz-Bart—Atheneum ($4.95).

This first novel, a quasi-epic panorama of Jewish suffering from medieval pogroms to Nazi crematories, is a publishing phenomenon in France. The Goncourt Academy last year held an unprecedentedly early meeting to give the book its prestigious award, ahead of other eager prize committees. Running at a 10,000-copy-a-month clip, sales have risen to the 400,000 mark, a rare bestselling figure in the U.S. but almost unheard of in France. Translations are appearing or due to appear in 17 countries.

Part of the phenomenon is the...