The prefect Frédéric Potier, interministerial delegate for the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBT hatred, warned Gallimard editions of the risks of republishing Louis-Ferdinand Céline's anti-Semitic pamphlets.
“These are downright anti-Semitic and racist works. Last night I reread part of 'The School of Corpses', which dates from 1937: it is not a soft version of 'Journey to the End of the Night', but incitement to hatred pure and hard,” the prefect told AFP on Friday.
Gallimard plans to publish in May 2018, under the title “Écrits polemiques”, a volume bringing together Céline’s anti-Semitic and racist texts: Trivia for a Massacre, The School of Corpses, The Fine Sheets.
Lucienne Almanzor, the widow of Louis-Ferdinand Céline, 105, decided, against the expressed will of her husband, who died in 1961, to accept the reissue of three pamphlets with strong anti-Semitic overtones, reveals the site of L'Incorrect.
“My role is to alert, to warn, to warn Gallimard editions and to call on them to be responsible for the critical equipment that accompanies this edition,” said Mr. Potier.
"We are not in the role of censor, he tempered, but of whistleblower: we want guarantees" even if, he underlined, "we have confidence in the Gallimard editions, house very serious and knows his job well.
DILCRAH prefect Frédéric Potier (r.) in October 2017 (Credit: Dilcrah)
“In a context where the scourge of anti-Semitism must be fought more forcefully than ever, the methods of making these writings available to the general public must be carefully considered,” writes Frédéric Potier.
"The quality of the critical apparatus that accompanies them, and in particular its ability to shed light on the historical and ideological context of their production, as well as the deciphering of the author's biases and the factual errors contained are therefore decisive," specifies- he.
Pierre Assouline, a Celine specialist, should write the preface to this reissue.
The beneficiary would have been convinced to have these pamphlets reissued following "the reissue of Les Déombres, Rebatet's famous pamphlet, in 2015, by Robert Lafont, also framed by an important critical apparatus, [which] did not not triggered particular waves of protest,” explains L’Incorrect.
“More material reasons may also have played a part,” adds the weekly. At 105, the former dancer Lucette Destouches needs medical assistance 24 hours a day, which requires paying three full-time people.
Mr. Potier acknowledged that this was a “rather unusual step” on the part of the government. “But, he added, it would be wrong to let this sort of thing be published too easily”.
Seized by associations for the fight against anti-Semitism and individuals, the interministerial delegate sent a letter to Antoine Gallimard, the boss of the eponymous editions.
“In a context where the scourge of anti-Semitism must be fought more forcefully than ever, the methods of making these writings available to the general public must be carefully considered,” writes Mr. Potier in this letter, quoted by Express and that AFP was able to consult.
"The quality of the critical apparatus that accompanies them, and in particular its ability to shed light on the historical and ideological context of their production, as well as the deciphering of the author's biases and the factual errors contained are therefore decisive", insists- he in his mail.
"In order to remove the concerns raised in this respect by the announced tight schedule, I would be very grateful if you could enlighten me on the conditions for the preparation of this critical edition and on the measures taken to guarantee its scientificity and multidisciplinary", he concluded.
Contacted by AFP, Gallimard had not reacted in the middle of the afternoon.
The three anti-Semitic texts by Céline, published between 1937 and 1941, have not been republished since the end of the Second World War. However, they can be found quite easily on the internet, without critical equipment.
Source: Anti-Semitic pamphlets by L.-F. Céline reissued: the Dilcrah wants “guarantees”
