Jean-Pierre Enard's 'Un bon écrivain est un écrivain mort' Reissued

Éditions Finitude has published a collection of prose and literary criticism by Jean-Pierre Enard, titled 'Un bon écrivain est un écrivain mort' (A good writer is a dead writer). The title derives from Enard's famous 1982 text defending living literature. Enard, who died at age 44 in 1987, was the author of the unconventional novel 'Le Dernier Dimanche de Sartre' (1978), also reissued by Finitude. An anarchist and freethinker, he criticized the literary establishment of his time. The collection includes pieces originally published between 1980 and 1987, featuring homages to Calet, Guérin, Céline, and Perros, and reflects his affinity for Miller, Genet, and Gombrowicz. Enard argued that the French novel had been contaminated by the Fifth Republic and academia, lacking physicality. Notable texts include 'No Satisfaction', 'Banlieue chic', 'Trois scènes primitives et le risible', and 'Le Goncourt aux enchères, hilarant!'. The writings attack the intellectual scene and what Enard saw as false values and mediocrity. Reviewer Patrick Amine notes that while one may not always agree with Enard's views, his work revisits a period of literary history that resonates today.