Jacques Henric on biographies of Paul Nizan and Roland Barthes

Jacques Henric reviews two biographies: Yves Buin's "Paul Nizan" (Denoël) and Marie Gil's "Roland Barthes" (Flammarion). Henric, who knew Barthes but not Nizan, contrasts their lives: Barthes (1915–1980) died from a traffic accident in Paris; Nizan (1905–1940) was killed by a German bullet in Recousse, Pas-de-Calais. Barthes was a brilliant academic and essayist, distanced from politics; Nizan was a philosopher, novelist, and journalist deeply engaged in communist activism, later becoming a reference for dissident militants. Henric notes Nizan's trajectory from a Stalinist to a rebel figure, his condemnation of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, and his death fighting Nazis. He highlights Aragon's defamatory portrait of Nizan in "Les Communistes" (later removed) and Sartre's defense in the preface to "Aden Arabie." Buin's biography covers Nizan's participation in the "Philosophie" group and friendships with Gide, Malraux, Politzer, and Henri Lefebvre. Marie Gil's biography of Barthes goes beyond simple biography, analyzing his works and showing his marginality due to tuberculosis, sexuality, and academic resistance. Gil details attacks by Raymond Picard and Paulhan (under pseudonym Guérin), and Barthes's reluctance to engage politically despite pressures. Henric concludes that Gil enters the "heart of biographical meaning" at the end of her book.