Adventures on the Freedom Road: The French Intellectuals in the 20th CenturyFrom the days when Zola and Peguy brandished their pens in pursuit of political action, the question of Literature at the service of Political Commitment has remained a live issue, most of all in France. As this century saw the rise first of Communism, then of Fascism, French intellectuals have hurried to take sides and devote their writings to the good of their chosen Cause. If Breton and some of his fellow-Surrealists, as also Sartre and Aragon, favoured the Left, Bataille, Celine and Drieu La Rochelle were no less passionate advocates of the Far Right. There were also nice shadings of political casuistry as Red veered to Pink and eventually even to True Blue; Malraux was one of the great men to skate across the spectrum. |
Contents
GREAT HOPES The 1890s to the 1920s | 7 |
That strange secret society | 25 |
The aesthetic obscurantism of the Party | 36 |
Copyright | |
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accept Acéphale admiration Affair Algerian André André Breton André Malraux anti-fascist anti-semitism Aragon Aron Barrès Bataille Bataille's became believe Breton Cadavre Camus certainly Cocteau communist Communist Party concerned course dreamed Dreyfus Dreyfus Affair Drieu Europe everything example eyes fact fascism feeling felt française France François Mauriac French friends Gaullist German Gide happened Hitler idea imagine inspired intellectuals involved Jewish Jews knew La Révolution Surréaliste left-wing literary literature live look Malraux Marxist Mauriac Maurice Barrès Maurras Michel Leiris militant mind Nazi Nazism never Nizan novel organisation Paris Paul Valéry perhaps Pétainist philosopher Pierre political published question realise remember Resistance revolution revolutionary role Sartre seemed sense side social someone Souvarine Soviet squadron Stalin strange surrealism surrealists talk things thought took true Valéry wanted whole women words writer wrote young youth