In 1935, 230 writers from 38 countries converged on Paris to consider ways of countering the fascist threat to culture. Held against a background of a rapidly changing political climate, the five-day congress attended by some of Europe's foremost writers -- Andr Gide, Andr Malraux, Bertolt Brecht, Heinrich Mann, Ilya Ehrenburg, Aldous Huxley, among others -- ultimately collapsed in a bitter standoff between Soviet and Western conceptions of freedom of expression, literature, and political engagement. Of all such congresses held in the 1930s, none better exemplified the interplay between history, politics, and literature. Writers' Block looks beneath the surface to expose the complex wiring that motivated participants. Clashing ideologies and personalities drive the narrative forward.

Jacob Boas is the author of a number of books on the Holocaust and teaches history at Linfield College (McMinville, Oregon, USA).