André Malraux is one of the most misunderstood French writers of the twentieth century, both in his native land and in much of the English-speaking world. Despite numerous publications devoted to him, he remains, somewhat paradoxically, an unappreciated and often maligned author. Eulogized in the most extravagant terms by his admirers ("the last Renaissance man," "the intellectual as man of action"), denounced in a most vehement manner by his detractors ("a mythomaniac," "the only authentic French fascist"), he is an enigmatic, elusive, contradictory figure. There are many reasons for this.

First, as was the case with many of his contemporaries, particularly T. E. Lawrence, who intrigued Malraux to the utmost degree, his real significance, his originality, and his genius have been obscured by the legend surrounding his personal and political life: his adventures in Indo-china, Yemen, Persia, and other parts of Asia, his polemic with the exiled...