The French Writers’ War, 1940–1953

751 Pages·2014·3.793 MB·English

by  Gisèle Sapiro

Th e French
Writers’ War
1940– 1953
POLITICS, HISTORY, AND CULTURE
A series from the International Institute at the University of Michigan
SERIES EDITORS
George Steinmetz and Julia Adams
SERIES EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Fernando Coronil
Mamadou Diouf
Michael Dutton
Geoff Eley
Fatma Müge Göcek
Nancy Rose Hunt
Andreas Kalyvas
Webb Keane
David Laitin
Lydia Liu
Julie Skurski
Margaret Somers
Ann Laura Stoler
Katherine Verdery
Elizabeth Wingrove
Sponsored by the International Institute at the University of Michigan
and published by Duke University Press, this series is centered around
cultural and historical studies of power, politics, and the state—a fi eld
that cuts across the disciplines of history, sociology, anthropology, po li-
tical science, and cultural studies. Th e focus on the relationship between
state and culture refers both to a methodological approach—t he study
of politics and the state using culturalist methods—a nd a substantive
one that treats signifying practices as an essential dimension of politics.
Th e dialectic of politics, culture, and history fi gures prominently in all
the books selected for the series.
Th e French
Writers’ War
1940– 1953
Gisèle Sapiro
Translated by
Vanessa Doriott Anderson
and Dorrit Cohn
Duke University Press Durham and London 2014
La Guerre des écrivains by Gisèle Sapiro,
© 1999 Librairie Arthème Fayard.
En glish translation © 2014 Duke University Press.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
on acid- free paper ∞
Designed by Amy Ruth Buchanan
Typeset in Garamond by Westchester Books
Duke University Press gratefully
acknowledges the Book Department of
Cultural Ser vices of the French Embassy
in the United States, Hemingway Grant
Program, which provided funds toward
the translation of this book.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Sapiro, Gisèle.
Th e French writers’ war, 1940–1953 / Gisile Sapiro ;
translated by Vanessa Doriott Anderson and Dorrit Cohn.
pages cm — (Politics, history, and culture)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8223-5178-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8223-5191-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. France—Intellectual life—20th century.
2. Intellectuals—France—History—20th century.
3. France—Cultural policy—History—20th century.
I. Title. II. Series: Politics, history, and culture.
DC33.7.S27 2014
840.9'3584053—dc23
2013045006
In memory of my father

Contents
Ac know ledg ments ix
Introduction 1
Part I Th e Literary Logics of Po liti cal Engagement 11
1 Choices under Constraints 13
2 Th e Responsibility of the Writer 81
3 Literary Salvation and the Literature of Salvation:
François Mauriac and Henry Bordeaux 158
Part II Literary Institutions and National Crisis 1 87
4 Th e Sense of Duty: Th e French Academy 191
5 Th e Sense of Scandal: Th e Goncourt Academy 243
6 Th e Sense of Distinction: Th e “nrf Spirit” 293
7 Th e Sense of Subversion: Th e Comité national des écrivains (cne) 362
Part III Literary Justice 4 37
8 Th e Literary Court 439
9 Literary Institutions and National Reconstruction 491
Conclusion 5 37
Appendix 1: Pre sen ta tion of the Survey 551
Appendix 2: Th e Social Recruitment of the Literary Field
and of Its Institutions 561
Notes 573
Bibliography 677
Name Index 721

Ac know ledg ments
Gisèle Sapiro wishes to thank Jasmine Deventer for her help revising the trans-
lation.
Dorrit Cohn wishes to thank three people who have helped with the prepara-
tion of this translation. Richard Ingram, who assisted me with my computer
and was immeasurably useful in checking my spelling; Professor Susan Sulei-
man, who set me straight on the French educational system and helped with the
idioms; and François Proulx, who was my main source of information on French
idioms.
Vanessa Doriott Anderson wishes to thank Alice Kaplan, for her advice on the
logistics of presenting French culture and history to an American audience;
Gisèle Sapiro, for her generous assistance with certain very specifi c details of the
manuscript; Courtney Berger, for her guidance throughout the project; and
John Anderson, for his superhuman patience and support over many months.