Mauriac

Summary

Dominique Pagani mainly quotes a single phrase from François Mauriac, which he repeats from one session to another between 2017 and 2020: "I love Germany so much that I prefer there to be two of them"12. The remark comes up in very different contexts: a session in the "From Ulysses to Daedalus" cycle, a session devoted to Marcel Griaule, another on Racine, and answers to questions. The passages do not specify what use he makes of it in each case. He also mentions Mauriac as a political figure: in 2021, he presents him as a man of the Gaullist and Catholic right who was threatened by the OAS3. In 2026, in a session on the return of fascism, he names him together with De Gaulle among those who did not confuse communism with Nazism4. In these passages, then, Mauriac does not appear as a novelist whose works he reads closely. He serves instead as an occasional reference, for a witticism about Germany and as an example of a Catholic, Gaullist right.

1. 1#3.3 From Ulysses to Daedalus1 Aug 2017 · 1:01:57
2. 2#7 Answers to questions (continued)3 Dec 2020 · 25:32
3. 3“Red-browns”, “decolonial”: should we use the dominant language?31 Mar 2021 · 46:51
4. 4The return of fascism4 Feb 2026 · 17:11

Summary produced automatically from 6 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.