The case of Louis Ferdinand Celine

Résumé du document

While Heidegger was involved in the German Nazi movement, the well-known French writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline was advocating anti-Semitism in some of his pamphlets written between 1937 and 1941. Racism can be found even in his later works and a comparison is generally made between them and the rest of his career. ?Voyage au bout de la nuit', his first novel published in 1932 is considered a masterpiece and his style denounces the difficulties of living in such a troubled century. Yet, his anti-Semitist pamphlets are still forbidden nowadays and have never been reprinted, despite the efforts of his widow. Cases like this one raise the question of the involvement of public persons. Should a writer?s work always be held in the light of their political involvement?

Extraits

[...] These kinds of proposals can be dangerous as the writer always tries to express his ideas in a seducing way. The form and the talent of the writer make these ideas look nicer and more attractive to the potential readers. Céline's widow is still nowadays trying to change this state of thing and wants her husband's pamphlets to be reedited. In will not be possible in France as they fall under the Pleven law of 1972, which punish anti-Semite works and prohibit writers from expressing their racist opinions in public. [...]

[...] Cases like this one raise the question of the involvement of public persons. Should a writer's work always be held in the light of their political involvement? As intellectuals are supposed to be role models, political involvement is a delicate subject which can not be forgotten. Moreover, there is not a strict frontier between political opinions and their work as they use it to express their ideas. Intellectuals such as writers have a role to lead in the society. Their debates influence people who follow them and as they are looked up as role models, they are more likely to be listened to. [...]

[...] For this reason, the study of much of his writing has been rejected and abandoned. Do you agree with the supposition that a writer's work (fiction, poetry, philosophy) should always be held in the light of their political activities? Cite one other example of a thinker whose work has been exonerated, rejected or praised because of their political involvement. It is the responsibility of intellectuals and writers to lead the public debate, therefore their works should be considered in the light of their political involvement. [...]

[...] Céline, in 1937 and 1938 had a great success with his pamphlets Bagatelles pour un massacre, in which he suggests the formation of a German and French army, united under the authority of Hitler and with L'Ecole des cadavres, a series of attacks toward the Jews described as monsters. Using their influence, writers and intellectuals give a stronger credibility to these theories. Making a difference between a writer's work and his political involvement can be seen as quite artificial. Louis-Ferdinand Céline used his writing skills to express his anti-Semite ideas. [...]