Bernard Sichère's Maoist memoir reviewed by Jacques Henric

In a review published by artpress, Jacques Henric examines Bernard Sichère's memoir "Ce grand soleil qui ne meurt pas" (Éditions Grasset), which recounts his political activism in the far-left Maoist movements that emerged after May 1968 in France. Henric, who was associated with the Tel Quel group, notes that the book evokes figures from that era, particularly philosopher Alain Badiou, portrayed with nuance that may soften his reputation as a cold theorist of revolutionary terror. Henric draws parallels between Sichère's trajectory and that of other militants, such as Benny Levy's shift from Marxism to Judaism and Sichère's own turn to Catholicism. The review highlights the intellectual influences that saved Sichère from the disillusionment that befell many former revolutionaries: Hölderlin, Rimbaud, Heidegger, Artaud, Bataille, and the Gospels. The title references Mao's "Great Sun" and questions whether the same sun still shines.