The Bridge on the River Kwai

novel by Boulle

Also known as: “Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï”

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June 22, 2026

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The Bridge on the River Kwai is a novel by Pierre Boulle, first published in 1952. The story is set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma during World War II. It follows British prisoners who are forced to build a railway bridge for their captors.

The novel explores the complex moralities of war, particularly through the character of Colonel Nicholson, a British officer who becomes obsessed with building a superior bridge, blurring the lines between duty and pride. This dedication to the project, intended to boost morale, ultimately aids the enemy. The narrative also includes an escapee who is tasked with returning to destroy the very bridge he helped construct. The novel was adapted into a highly acclaimed 1957 film directed by David Lean.1234

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Pierre Boulle
…best known for his novel Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï (1952; U.S. title, The Bridge over the River Kwai; U.K. title, The Bridge on the River Kwai), dealing with a company of British soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II. An ambiguous moral fable, it presents…
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…best known for his novel Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï (1952; U.S. title, The Bridge over the River Kwai; U.K. title, The Bridge on the River Kwai), dealing with a company of British soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II. An ambiguous moral fable, it presents…
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Khwae Noi River
…and in Pierre Boulle’s novel The Bridge on the River Kwai (1952) and the motion picture of the same name (1957). The region has become a major tourist and resort area. Most of the railway, though, was dismantled after the war.
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…and in Pierre Boulle’s novel The Bridge on the River Kwai (1952) and the motion picture of the same name (1957). The region has become a major tourist and resort area. Most of the railway, though, was dismantled after the war.
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The Bridge on the River Kwai
…movie, based on the novel Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï (1952) by French novelist Pierre Boulle, was adapted for the screen by Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman, who were both at the time on the Hollywood blacklist. Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the…
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…movie, based on the novel Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï (1952) by French novelist Pierre Boulle, was adapted for the screen by Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman, who were both at the time on the Hollywood blacklist. Boulle was given sole credit on the film and was awarded the…
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