Author Guide · Reportage
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Jean Hatzfeld was a war reporter for Libération for many years, but nothing prepared him for Rwanda. After the genocide of 1994 he returned again and again to the hills of Nyamata, where Tutsi families had hidden in the marshes and been hunted down. He interviewed the survivors, then went to prison to interview the killers from the same hills, then wrote about what happened when the killers came home to live beside them. His books are among the most important ever written about genocide. This guide covers his Rwanda books in order, with which ones are in English, and his novels.
By Lisanne Swart · 6 books · Reportage · 2000–2021 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Jean Hatzfeld has published six books about the Rwandan genocide, built on interviews with the people of Nyamata: Dans le nu de la vie (2000), Une saison de machettes (2003), La stratégie des antilopes (2007), Englebert des collines (2014), Un papa de sang (2015) and Là où tout se tait (2021). Four are available in English. He has also published several novels.
Where to Start with Jean Hatzfeld
If you want the famous one
→ Une saison de machettes (2003).
If you want the survivors
→ Dans le nu de la vie (2000).
If you want the aftermath
→ La stratégie des antilopes (2007).
All 6 Jean Hatzfeld Books, in Order
Dans le nu de la vie
Fourteen survivors from the hills of Nyamata describe how they survived weeks hiding in the marshes. In English it is Life Laid Bare.
Une saison de machettes
Ten men from the same hills, imprisoned for their part in the killings, describe what they did and why. In English it is Machete Season.
La stratégie des antilopes
Survivors and released killers living side by side again on the hills of Nyamata. In English it is The Antelope's Strategy.
Englebert des collines
No English edition · available in French
The portrait of Englebert, a survivor of the marshes, a learned and wandering drinker whom Hatzfeld had known for years.
Un papa de sang
The children of survivors and of killers, born after the genocide, talk about their parents and their inheritance. In English it is Blood Papa.
Là où tout se tait
No English edition · available in French
About the “Righteous”, the few Hutu who risked their lives to save Tutsi during the genocide, and the silence around them.
How Many Books Did Jean Hatzfeld Write?
Six books about Rwanda between 2000 and 2021, four of them in English, besides novels.
- The first trilogy — Dans le nu de la vie, Une saison de machettes and La stratégie des antilopes. Read the entries →
- Later Rwanda books — Englebert des collines, Un papa de sang, Là où tout se tait. Read the entries →
- Novels — listed further down. See the full list →
In What Order to Read Jean Hatzfeld
The first three Rwanda books form a trilogy, survivors, killers and their life together afterwards, and should be read in that order.
A reading path
1. Dans le nu de la vie (2000)
2. Une saison de machettes (2003)
3. La stratégie des antilopes (2007)
4. Un papa de sang (2015)
Everything Else Jean Hatzfeld Wrote: The Full List
Beyond his Rwanda books, novels inspired by his years as a war reporter.
Open a form with the + to see every book in it.
Novels
5
5 books · 1999–2013
- 1999La guerre au bord du fleuvenovel
- 2005La ligne de flottaisonnovel
- 2011Où en est la nuitnovel
- 2012Deux mètres dixnovel
- 2013Robert Mitchum ne revient pasnovel
Quick facts about Jean Hatzfeld
- Born
- 1949, Madagascar
- Grew up
- Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France
- Career
- Reporter and war correspondent for Libération from 1977
- Prizes
- Prix France Culture; Prix Femina essai; Prix Joseph Kessel; Prix Médicis
- In English
- Life Laid Bare; Machete Season; The Antelope's Strategy; Blood Papa
- Books
- 6 on Rwanda, 2000–2021
How Jean Hatzfeld Works: Letting People Speak
Hatzfeld returns to the same small community, the hills of Nyamata, for years, and lets people speak at length. His books alternate long first-person testimonies with his own short chapters of description and reflection.
He interviews victims and killers separately but from the same place, so that their accounts reflect each other.
Frequently asked questions about Jean Hatzfeld's books
How many books has Jean Hatzfeld written about Rwanda?
Jean Hatzfeld has published six books about the Rwandan genocide, from Dans le nu de la vie (2000) to Là où tout se tait (2021).
Which Jean Hatzfeld books are in English?
Four: Life Laid Bare, Machete Season, The Antelope's Strategy and Blood Papa.
What is Machete Season about?
Machete Season (Une saison de machettes, 2003) is based on interviews with men imprisoned for taking part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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