Jean Paulhan’s Lettre aux directeurs de la Résistance was an important and contentious statement about the influence of communism in intellectual and literary circles. On publication in 1952, the pamphlet revived debates over collaboration with the Nazi authorities that had dominated French society since the Liberation, and that still have important echoes today.In this new edition, John Flower provides a full contextualising introduction. He also examines Paulhan’s evolution during the period and assesses his postion alongside that of other key figures: in particular Mauriac and Camus. The volume makes an important contribution to our understanding of this turbulent period and provides a documentary history of the post-war political and literary debates in Paris.
