Blanchot and Céline: Two Literary Giants, One White, One Black

Two massive volumes from Gallimard, one collecting Maurice Blanchot's literary chronicles from the Occupation (April 1941–August 1944) and the other gathering Louis-Ferdinand Céline's letters to Marie Canavaggia (1936–1960), prompt a stark moral comparison. Blanchot, who wrote for the Pétainist Journal des débats, later recanted his far-right, anti-Semitic past and was rehabilitated by the intellectual left. Céline never repented his racism and anti-Semitism, remaining a pariah. The Blanchot volume includes reviews of now-obscure authors, with a jarring disconnect from the tragic context of Vichy France. Céline's letters, over 500, reveal his unrepentant fury, humor, and optimism during exile, while he worked on Guignol's Band. Additionally, the DVD set 'Céline vivant' compiles TV interviews, a reading from Nord, and testimonies.