“The war in question”, a book fair which puts the war in Books and words in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche

War is part of great history, its consequences to the daily, intimate life of those who wage it and their loved ones. Always relevant regardless of the century, it can be a war on the ground, technological, psychological, propaganda. In Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, the Les Oiseaux Livres bookstore and its Friends have chosen the theme of war for the new edition of their book fair. It will be from November 8 to 11 in different locations in the Aradian city. The full program is here.

We will talk about arms sales, war and childhood, propaganda… “The war in question” consists of conferences, round tables, literary meetings, “mathematico-critical interludes”, debate screenings, a reading musical, a diplo coffee and participation in the commemoration of November 11 at the pacifist war memorial in Gentioux-Pigerolles, in Creuse.

“I felt the urgency with everything that was rising in Ukraine and Gaza. The omnipresence of war seems so palpable around us that I wanted to do something. The show finds its origins there, in the news,” explains Amandine Barascut, bookseller and organizer of the “La guerre en question” show. On this occasion, she talks to us about four Books about the war.

Book 1: Basic principles of war propaganda

“I read a little book by Anne Morelli, called Basic principles of war propaganda. This Belgian academic is based on the work of an Englishman, Lord Ponsonby, who had analyzed war propaganda in 1914-18, from the French, English, Belgian and German sides.

Arthur Ponsonby, pacifist, elected to the House of Commons and hostile to Great Britain's entry into the war in 1914, “highlighted around ten major principles of propaganda. I’ll stop at the first three,” says Amandine Barascut, quoting them in today’s language.

“Anne Morelli has duplicated this research to other wars, the most recent she treated was Afghanistan.” Anne Morelli's book

dates from 2001, a new revised and expanded edition was published in January 2023 by Aden édition.

Please note: Anne Morelli will not be present at the Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche show.

Book 2:

Little soldier (Pierre-Jacques and Jules Ober) “There is one at Seuil called

Little soldier.

It features characters who are in fact little toy soldiers. It's an album by two Australians. We follow a little tin soldier during his first months of war. There are going to be very difficult times, until the end. At Christmas, he does not want to leave his mother alone, he deserts, returns to spend Christmas with his mother and in the early morning, he rejoins his regiment. He will be shot as an example. » The editorial manager of Seuil jeunesse, Céline Ottenwaelter, will be in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche on Saturday November 9. She will notably be part of a round table at 10 a.m. on “Representations of war in children's albums”, with Olivier Delavoine, art historian and the critic and author Ernest London.

Book 3: The engineering of consent The engineering of consent

is not the title of the book, but that of a chapter of Olivier Delavoine's book A history of printing. «

The engineering of consent explains how, in 1914, the German and French governments were able to generate support from the populations even though they were opposed to the war. Olivier Delavoine takes up the work of Anne Morelli. He also organized exhibitions on propaganda on the French and German sides with leaflets, posters… And he coordinated a book on illustration for children at the beginning of the 20th century in Russia. At that time, there was also the Russian Revolution and he was able to show how children's books were also a vector of propaganda,” explains the organizer of “The War in Question”. Olivier Delavoine will be in Saint-Yrieix on Saturday for a conference on

The engineering of consent, propaganda, on both sides of the border.

Book 4:

We will go through storms

Diplo coffee.