The Wages of Fear (novel)

The Wages of Fear
Hardcover edition 1950
AuthorGeorges Arnaud
Original titleLe Salaire de la peur
TranslatorNorman Dale
LanguageFrench
GenreThriller
PublisherÉditions Julliard
Publication date
1950
Publication placeFrance
Media typePrint
Pages203 pp.
ISBN9782260018117
OCLC(OCoLC)2926544
843.91

The Wages of Fear is a thriller novel by Georges Arnaud published in 1950 by Éditions Julliard.[1][2][3] The original title is "Le Salaire de la peur". The novel was translated into several languages and sold over 2 million copies. The first UK edition was published by The Bodley Head in 1952 translated by Norman Dale.[4] The first US edition was the hardcover published by Farrar, Straus and Young also in 1952.

The novel is dedicated to the author's father.

Synopsis

The novel was the subject of an initial film adaptation by Henri-Georges Clouzot in 1953, which tells the story of four desperate men stuck in a remote Guatemalan town and tasked with transporting a dangerous cargo of nitroglycerin over perilous roads.[5][6]

Film adaptations

Since 1953, the novel was cinematized several times:[7]

References

  1. ^ France, Peter (1995). The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French. Clarendon Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-19-866125-2. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  2. ^ Todd, Christopher (1994). A Century of French Best-sellers (1890-1990). E. Mellen Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-7734-9146-5. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  3. ^ Goldenstein, Jean-Pierre (29 November 2005). Lire le roman (in French). De Boeck Supérieur. p. 83. ISBN 978-2-8041-5010-5. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Arnaud, Georges ~ The Wages Of Fear". ashtonrarebooks.com. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  5. ^ Harriss, Joseph (9 January 2024). Yves Montand: The Passionate Voice. University Press of Kentucky. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-8131-9862-0. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  6. ^ Murphy, Robert (25 July 2019). The British Cinema Book. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-83871-865-7. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  7. ^ Cotter, Padraig (3 April 2024). "Netflix's The Wages Of Fear Ending Explained". ScreenRant. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  8. ^ a b Grant, John (21 September 2023). A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir: The Essential Reference Guide. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 556. ISBN 978-1-4930-8165-3. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  9. ^ Ehrlich, David (25 June 2021). "'The Ice Road' Review: Liam Neeson Steers Netflix's Frozen 'Wages of Fear' Homage". IndieWire. Retrieved 24 August 2025.