During the 1940 exodus, a Jewish hauler finds purpose amid the horror: rescuing children persecuted by the Vichy regime, hiding them, and guiding them to freedom across the Pyrenees. A choral story set between Spain and France, inspired by real events and told by renowned author Pep Coll.
In the midst of World War II, Samuel Silverstein, a French Jew and professional hauler, loses everything in a German bombing while fleeing south. In the depths of despair, he finds a boy with a cleft lip named Philippe, who becomes his unexpected travel companion. Together they arrive in Ariège, near the Spanish border, where they encounter others marked by war: Catalan exiles fleeing Franco’s regime, opportunistic French collaborators with the Nazis, and above all, a group of Jewish children taken in by the Red Cross at a former convent.
There, under the strict supervision of Miss Inger, a group of teenagers—Helmut, Daniel, Rachel, and Carmen—grow up amid games, romantic tensions, anxiety about their parents’ fate, and a budding political awareness. The Nazi and Vichy threats loom ever larger, as French militia and gendarmes begin deporting Jewish youths to work in German concentration camps.
Samuel, having assumed a new identity (Christophe Leroy), connects with Main Forte, a clandestine Jewish rescue network that will later become the Armée Juive. His mission: save as many children as possible. Thanks to his new job as a traveling salesman, he manages to move the children to safe houses or aid their passage to Spain, all while continuing to protect Philippe, nicknamed “Liebre” (Hare) by the other kids. Little by little, Samuel begins to rebuild a life in the region, making new friends and recovering something close to a family.
As the war progresses and the Allies advance, tensions rise. Some youths, like Helmut and Daniel, plan a daring escape over the Pyrenees—a perilous and epic journey that marks their coming of age. Eventually, the fall of the Third Reich opens a new path: the founding of the State of Israel. The children believe this is how they will awaken God from his long sleep. They all choose to emigrate to Tel Aviv under international protection. Samuel, however—disillusioned with God and rooted in his new home—chooses to stay in France.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: Pep Coll (Pessonada, Pallars Jussà, 1949) is a prolific Catalan author whose work has been translated into Spanish, Basque, French, and Italian. He has written numerous novels and received the Critics’ Prize, the Crexells Prize, the El Setè Cel Prize, the Amat-Piniella Prize, and the 2016 Prix Pyrénéen for the French translation of his work. His literary universe—spanning adult fiction, YA, theater, and essays—is strongly tied to the Pyrenees and his deep love for the mountains.
The Long Slumber of God (La llarga migdiada de Déu) is a choral, ambitious, and deeply moving novel that sheds light on a lesser-known chapter of WWII: the Jewish exodus through southern France and the Pyrenees. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters, Pep Coll crafts a vibrant tale of survival, coming of age, and the loss (and reconstruction) of faith in the face of horror. A novel with an emotionally rich and nuanced plot, set in a Pyrenean landscape that is far more than just a backdrop—it is refuge, frontier, witness to barbarism, and a protagonist in its own right.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Movie
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish, Catalan
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