Bent cover

Bent

by Martin Sherman

A horrifically beautiful story about the power of love. . .and how it can conquer even the Third Reich. . . The arts flourished in pre-WWII Germany. The Nazis brought it all to a crashing end. A love story, in this instance a love between men, about how the power of the mind can resist the physical, psychological, and emotional cruelty put forth. Written originally (I believe) as a stage play, the script was adapted & made into film (1997) starring Clive Owen & Lothaire Bluteau. . .two Dachau prison camp inmates. One (Horst/Bluteau) wears his pink triangle (symbolizing his being homosexual) proudly while the other (Max/Owen) conceals his homosexuality by wearing the gold Star of David. In the end, their love conquers all but death. Stong. Powerful. Read the play before you watch the film.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?