the painstaking work of Patrick Bachelier

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A work that spanned eight years. Patrick Bacheliera passionate resident of Fougères brings a new stone to the recognition of the literary and intellectual personality of Jean Guéhenno, son of a Fougères shoemaker who became academician.

He publishes the correspondence from the author of Change life with Maurice Genevoix, another great name in French letters. A painstaking effort which made it possible to collate 204 letters, exchanged by the two men from 1917 to 1978.

Jean Guéhenno (1890-1978) and Maurice Genevoix (1890-1980) met at the‘École Normale Supérieure de la rue d’Ulmin Paris, in 1912.

What will bind them next is the Great War.

Wounded, the two normaliens were lucky to survive the butchery, when so many of their friends lost their lives or came back deeply affected, in their bodies and in their souls.

This common experience of war was at the origin of a great friendship between Jean Guéhenno and Maurice Genevoix, whose texts gathered in Those of 14 made one of the most important witnesses of the conflict. Maurice Genevoix rests in the Pantheon.

THE course of the two writers have some similarities: provincial origin, brilliant studies, early loss of a parent, widowhood, and entry into the French Academy in 1946 for Genevoix, and in 1962 for Guéhenno.

Great annotation work

An obstinate Guéhennist and fervent Genevanist (and vice versa), Patrick Bachelier has increased his efforts in recent years to put into shape this correspondence, from letters kept at the National Library of France or in the families of the two authors. A patient work enriched with 569 notes which shed light on the published letters.

“There is unfortunately a significant lack: the letters from Guéhenno to Genevoix from 1940 to 1948. There, I relied on the Diary of the dark years by Guéhenno, a large part of whose manuscript remains unpublishedto fill the gaps,” describes Patrick Bachelier.

Le Fougerais also collaborated on the reissue of this journal, for the Folio collection.

And do not despair of one day finding the missing letters, and others covering the almost seventy years of friendship between the two academicians.

Genevoix-Guéhenno correspondence, annotated edition and preface by Patrick Bachelier, two portraits and twenty-three photos, 426 pages, editions La Part commune, €25.

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