Blaze of the Sun, by Jean Hougron, translated by Mervyn Savill

Blaze of the Sun (Soleil au Ventre) is the story of Georges Lastin, a disillusioned doctor who has set up a small truck transport company in Saigon. The territory in which he operates is not safe, with the Viet-Minh increasingly active. Lastin is taken prisoner, and falls in love with a fellow captive, a beautiful, mysterious Indochinese woman called My-Diem.

Jean Hougron (1923 - 2001) was a French novelist, famous for his novels set in French Indochina in the mid-20th century, where he lived and travelled for several years. Hougron's novels are not focused on the politics of the region, such the decolonization movement in South Asia or the First Indochina War, but rather they are studies of atmosphere, climate, landscape, characters and human relations.

Published by Hurst and Blackett Ltd in 1954.

Ex-library book. Dust jacket is worn. A good reading copy.