You may have heard French novelist Thophile Gautiers phrase, The French lack the sense of the epic.
Unfortunately, the saying remains accurate nearly two centuries later.
Indeed, it applies beyond France, from one end to the other of a discouraged Europe overtaken by nihilism, where even the idea of envisioning or imagining something a little greater for mankind has become unintelligible and absurd.
Which is why I am always inclined to view with a favorable eye books that reveal an attachment to the old-fashioned virtues of heroism, greatness, and a will to go beyond what was thought possible, despite the generalized disenchantment and cynicism that are the hallmarks of our age.
One such book is La Nostalgie de lhonneur,to be released in France on September 6. In it, journalist and columnist Jean-Ren Van der Plaetsen looks back on his grandfather, General Jean Crpin, one of the brightest (but until now poorly documented) figures of the epic of Free France.
The story begins in Manoka, Cameroon, where, on the morning of August 20, 1940, an artillery captain in the French colonial army, gripped by one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions on which great destinies are sometimes built, decides to follow an unknown general, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque.
It continues with the adventures of a handful of mystical bums who, like himself, bet their lives on the crazy dream of liberating Paris, of hoisting the French flag over Strasbourg cathedral, and of ridding Europe of Nazism.
That mission accomplished, the story follows the heroes into a complicated Indochina redolent of the novels of Graham Greene and French novelist Lucien Bodard.
And then into the quagmire of the Algerian war, where some of the band will lose their way, even while continuing to believe themselves faithful, literally, to the oath they took in the summer of 1940.
And finally into old age: Splendidly gray, proud of their military feats but strangely sad, recognizing one another, Van der Plaetsen tells us, by the fixed star they bear on their forehead like a seal visible only to those who have seen and done what they have seen and donethese are taciturn men with the overwhelming modesty that is the mark of the truly great; reticent men, hesitant to impart lessons of courage and nobility, which must be pulled out of them, as here, by stubborn grandchildren.
Some may find some aspects of this story overly martial.
Some may be startled to read that, in the eyes of the author, there is no calling more noble than that of the soldier.
And perhaps they may detect, here and there, an echo of the prodigious atmosphere of youthful friendship typical of nostalgic war writing in the mold of Philippe Barrss La Guerre vingt ans(War at Age 20) or Henry de Montherlants La Relve du matin(Morning Watch), both published at the beginning of the twentieth century.
But they would be wrong to leave their assessment there.
Because the essence of the book lies in its portrait of the generation of justly named Free French who make up the loftiest, most chivalrous, and most romantic of French orders of merit.
It lies in its description of that brotherhoods ties of suzerainty to General de Gaulle, who emerged suddenly from the ranks in an ascent that can be compared only to Napoleons rise over his own peers.
I admire the authors way of bringing alive the conversions of philosophy professor Andr Zirnheld, of mountain infantryman Tom Morel, and of an obscure Georgian prince, and othersall transformed, by the grace of their heroism, into the stuff of legends. Plaetsens feat reminds me of Roland Dorgelss observation in Wooden Crosses (1919) that, were it not for war, Joan of Arc would have died a shepherdess and 1789 hero Louis-Lazare Hoche a stable boy.
Because that is all true, and because it echoes a truly great novel of war from the 1920s, Jean Schlumbergers Camarade infidle(Unfaithful Comrade), I admire Van der Plaetsens conclusion that his characters tasted something so layered and so strong that everything against which they later had to measure themselves seemed either bland or bitter.
And I must say that these pages contain scenes of great beauty: the entrance of undaunted De Gaulle, accompanied by generals Koenig and Leclerc, into the nave of Notre Dame under fire from the last collaborationist militiamen; the funeral of Leclerc, two years later, with a tank carrying his coffin and with the hero of the book, by request of his peers, stock still at attention at the right of the tank, to offer last military honors to the departed hero; or, forty years later, the encounter between the junior general, now a very respectable bourgeois gentleman, with a column of union demonstrators who jostle and manhandle him until Crpin, pulling himself up to his former height, raising his voice slightly, and brandishing his cane as years ago he would have done a sword, holds his ground until the marchers back away and allow him to pass, dumbstruck by the unassailable, almost magical authority that he still exudes.
I, too, am a son of Free France.
Like the author, I was raised to respect the exceptional adventure that was early Gaullism.
And, like him, I have never been able to read without a shiver the commendation my father received on July 19, 1944, after the battle of Monte Cassino, from another of the books characters, General Diego Brosset: Andr Lvy, always willing day or night whatever the mission, performed evacuations under mortar fire with complete disregard for his personal safety, returning several times to the lines to recover the wounded under intense enemy fire ...
Which is to say that in paying tribute here to Van der Plaetsens Nostalgie de lhonneur,in saluting his noble act of devotion, reparation, and preservation of memory, I know what I am talking aboutand have weighed my words.
Translated from French by Steven B. Kennedy
The Morning Email
Wake up to the day's most important news.
View post:
- Nihilism | Definition of Nihilism by Merriam-Webster [Last Updated On: January 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: January 20th, 2016]
- Nihilism | Define Nihilism at Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: January 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: January 20th, 2016]
- Nihilism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [Last Updated On: January 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: January 20th, 2016]
- Nihilism - Philosophy - AllAboutPhilosophy.org [Last Updated On: February 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 8th, 2016]
- Nihilism | Define Nihilism at Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: February 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 8th, 2016]
- Nihilism | Definition of Nihilism by Merriam-Webster [Last Updated On: February 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 8th, 2016]
- Nihilism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: February 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 8th, 2016]
- nihilism | philosophy | Britannica.com [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2016]
- Urban Dictionary: Nihilism [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2016]
- nihilism | philosophy | Britannica.com [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2016]
- What is Nihilism? | CounterOrder.com [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2016]
- Nihilist | Define Nihilist at Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2016]
- CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Nihilism - New Advent [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2016]
- Nihilist | Define Nihilist at Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2016]
- What is Nihilism? | CounterOrder.com [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2016]
- en.wikipedia.org [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2016]
- Nihilism - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: March 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 20th, 2016]
- Nihilism - Conservapedia [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2016]
- Nihilism - RationalWiki [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2016]
- Nihilism Wikipedia [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2016]
- [ American Nihilist Underground Society (ANUS) :: Nihilism ... [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2016]
- Existential nihilism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2016]
- What is nihilism? - Bible Questions Answered [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2016]
- Nietzsche, Nihilism, Nihilists, & Nihilistic Philosophy [Last Updated On: June 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 8th, 2016]
- Nietzsche, Nihilism, Nihilists, & Nihilistic Philosophy [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- Nihilism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2016]
- Moral nihilism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2016]
- Quotes About Nihilism (162 quotes) [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2016]
- What is Nihilism? Nihilism, Nihilists, and Nihilistic Philosophy [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2016]
- Nihilism Nihilism [Last Updated On: July 18th, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 18th, 2016]
- What Is Nihilism? History, Profile, Philosophy and Philosophers [Last Updated On: August 2nd, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 2nd, 2016]
- Religion and Nihilism - The African Perspective Magazine [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2016]
- Urban Dictionary: nihilist [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2016]
- Nihilism - By Branch / Doctrine - The Basics of Philosophy [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2016]
- Paradox of nihilism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: September 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 20th, 2016]
- What is nihilism? - gotquestions.org [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2016]
- Nihilism | Meaningness [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2016]
- Nietzsches Analysis of Nihilism | The World Is On Fire [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2016]
- Therapeutic nihilism - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: December 4th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 4th, 2016]
- Historical Nihilism | CounterOrder.com [Last Updated On: December 4th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 4th, 2016]
- Nihilist movement - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: December 22nd, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 22nd, 2016]
- Moral nihilism - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: January 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 26th, 2017]
- The boredom of nihilism - The Tablet [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Donald Trump and the Uses of the Past - New Republic [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- The Chinese Ford Raptor Website Is Profound And Crazy At The Same Time - Jalopnik [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- Brendan Kelly on politics, nihilism, and the benefit of intimate shows - BeatRoute Magazine [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- Nihilism Manticore Press [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- Nihilist KMOX Reporter Discusses Existential Horror of February in St. Louis - Riverfront Times (blog) [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2017]
- Why the White House's nihilism is so troubling - Los Angeles Times [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2017]
- Teen Nihilism Erupts in LA Premiere of Fierce, Funny PUNK ROCK by Simon Stephens - Broadway World [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Faking It: The Rise of Political Nihilism - Study Breaks Magazine - Study Breaks [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Descartes, Nihilist - First Things (blog) [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Nihilism @ American Nihilist Underground Society (ANUS) [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Still Waking Up - First Things (blog) [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Pissed Jeans Why Love Now review: 'nihilism and cynicism' - Evening Standard [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Editorial | By any means necessary including dancehall - Jamaica Gleaner [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- The fight between Nigel Farage and Douglas Carswell is the definition of political nihilism - The Independent [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Eye in the Sky: Where Nihilism and Hegemony Coincide - Antiwar.com (blog) [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- NieR: Automata Starts With Nihilism and Futility at the Installation Screen - Geek [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- I used to love the working-class nihilism of Sleaford Mods no longer - Spectator.co.uk [Last Updated On: March 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 9th, 2017]
- Mereological nihilism - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Help! We have Fallen and Can't Escape the Current Age of Anger! - City Watch [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Carol Muffett: Federal Budget Plan is a testament to the recklessness, nihilism, and gross incompetence of this ... - YubaNet [Last Updated On: March 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 19th, 2017]
- Patterns that Lead to Suffering - Patheos (blog) [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2017]
- On Health Care, The House Freedom Caucus Declares War Against Conservatism - Forbes [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2017]
- Photo Flash: Teen Nihilism Erupts in L.A. Premiere of PUNK ROCK ... - Broadway World [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2017]
- Nihilism - Encyclopedia Dramatica [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2017]
- Three Steps Past Galen the Promise of a Young Century - InsideSources [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2017]
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman review nice dramatic narratives, but where's the nihilism? - The Guardian [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2017]
- What Is Nihilism? History, Profile, Philosophy and ... [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2017]
- Why Brexit Is Best for Britain: The Left-Wing Case - New York Times [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2017]
- Existential Nihilism & Atheism... [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2017]
- The President, The Freedom Caucus And The Democrats46:57 - WBUR [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- Review: 'T2 Trainspotting' relies on nostalgia from 1996 classic, but ... - Omaha World-Herald [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- We're all political nihilists now - Washington Post [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- Occupy Wall Street: Nihilism And Communism - The Liberty Conservative [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- Love, Western Nihilism and Revolutionary Optimism | Global ... - Center for Research on Globalization [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- What Colony Gets Right About Living in an Apocalypse - Gizmodo [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2017]
- Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Four Big Critiques - China Digital Times [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2017]
- Love, Western Nihilism and Revolutionary Optimism | Dissident Voice - Dissident Voice [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2017]