Céline's Letters to Henri Mondor Reveal Strategic Flattery for Pléiade Préface

A collection of letters from Louis-Ferdinand Céline to Henri Mondor, published by Gallimard, sheds light on the author's calculated efforts to secure a preface for his Pléiade edition. In early 1950, Céline was exiled in Copenhagen, preparing his return to France and medical practice. He sought support from Mondor, a prominent surgeon and academician who had written a cautious plea to the Court of Justice on Céline's behalf. Céline, in a letter to his Danish lawyer Mikkelsen, falsely claimed Mondor was a "Jewish surgeon" to bolster his recruitment. The correspondence shows Céline's excessive flattery and strategic manipulation, as he pressured Mondor to write a preface that would provide moral authority and expedite publication with Gallimard. Céline also aimed to influence the preface's content to shape his legacy, offering insights into his artistic philosophy, including his desire to break from conventional French prose. The letters were reviewed by Vincent Roy for artpress.