Blood of Victory Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

1. The title Blood of Victory comes from a speech given by a French senator at a conference on oil in 1918: "Oil, the blood of the earth, has become, in time of war, the blood of victory." Describe the role that oil plays in Furst's novel. How would you say the relationship between oil and war has changed over time? Given America's relationship with the Middle East since World War II, to what extent would you say oil is now the cause of war?
   
   
2. During Serebin's meeting with "Bastien" (Count Polanyi), Bastien describes the moral ambiguity of espionage in these terms: "People who trust you will get hurt. Is a dead Hitler worth it?" Consider Serebin's response to this question. What moral calculus must he perform to answer this sort of question? How would you respond to the same question?
   
   
3. At lunch at the Hotel Helvetia, Kostyka proclaims, "For every man there are three cities. The city of his birth, the city he loves, and the city where he must live." Discuss this themes of alienation and exile as they appear in Blood of Victory. Does Kostyka's pronouncement hold true for the characters in the novel?
   
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Random House. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.