Adolphe Yves Marie Le Goaziou (April 16, 1887 – September 18, 1953) was a bookseller, publisher and member of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

in wartime

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

Early life

Born in

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overhan ...

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

, Le Goaziou studied at the high school in

Saint-Pol-de-Léon Saint-Pol-de-Léon (; br, Kastell-Paol) is a commune in the Finistère department in Brittany in north-western France, located on the coast. It is noted for its 13th-century cathedral on the site of the original founded by Saint Paul Aurelian ...

, pursuing university studies at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

where he took a degree in philosophy. Le Goaziou became a member of ''

Le Sillon ("The Furrow", or "The Path") was a French political and religious movement founded by Marc Sangnier (1873 - 1950) which existed from 1894 to 1910. It aimed to bring Catholicism into a greater conformity with French Republican and socialist ideals ...

'' ("The Path"), a leftist Catholic movement created by

Marc Sangnier Marc Sangnier (; 3 April 1873, Paris – 28 May 1950, Paris) was a French Roman Catholic thinker and politician, who in 1894 founded ''Le Sillon'' ("The Furrow"), a social Catholic movement. Work Sangnier aimed to bring the Catholic Church in ...

. Returning to Brittany in 1910, he participated in the creation of an agricultural cooperative in Saint-Pol-de-Leon which brought together potato farmers. At the beginning of World War I, he joined the French army. He was wounded in battle in 1916.Jean-Loup Avril, ''Mille Bretons, dictionnaire biographique'', Les Portes du Large, Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, 2003, () He moved to

Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography The ...

in 1919 where he opened a bookstore and began to work as a publisher, specialising in literature on regional issues. Though a supporter of regional culture, Le Goaziou opposed the Breton autonomist and nationalist movements of the time.

World War II

After the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

in 1940, he protested against the nationalist and collaborationist weekly ''

L'Heure Bretonne ''L'Heure Bretonne'' ("The Breton Times") was a Breton nationalist weekly newspaper which was published from June 1940 to June 1944. It was the organ of the Breton National Party and was strongly associated with collaborationist politics during Wor ...

''. He also opposed the foundation of the Breton Celtic Institute, which was created under the patronage of the Germans in 1941 at the instigation of German Celticist

Leo Weisgerber Johann Leo Weisgerber (25 February 1899, Metz – 8 August 1985, Bonn) was a Lorraine-born German linguist who also specialized in Celtic linguistics. He developed the "organicist" or "relativist" theory that different languages produce different ...

. Le Goaziou became president of the Union of Religious Bookstores and the Booksellers' Union of France. Involved in the Resistance, he was denounced and arrested by the Gestapo in October 1943, but released in April 1944 for lack of evidence. A report by two police inspectors dated December 5, 1943, indicate connections with

François Jaffrennou François-Joseph-Claude Jaffrennou (15 March 1879 - 23 March 1956) was a Breton language writer and editor. He was a Breton nationalist and a neo-druid bard. He is also known as François Taldir-Jaffrennou, since he also used the bardic name Taldir ...

, who allegedly accused Le Goaziou and a colleague of being "the leaders of the esistancemovement in Brittany" and "friends" of England. In April 1944, after the Liberation of France, Le Goaziou was appointed chairman of the Departmental Committee of liberation, for the

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

region. He took part in the creation of ''

Ouest-France ''Ouest-France'' ( ; French for "West-France") is a daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on both local and national news. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départments within the régio ...

'', which followed the closure of ''Ouest-Éclair'', banned by Liberation forces for collaborationism. He also created a monthly magazine, ''Nouvelle Revue de Bretagne'' which appeared from 1947 to 1953.

Notable publications

*''A. Saint-Gal de Pons, '', 1931 *''Joseph Le Jollec, Un Siècle de vie cachée et de labeur fécond en Breiz-Izel'' (Preface by Monseigneur Duparc. Illustrations by Marc Choisnard), 1939 *''Louis Ogès, L'Agriculture dans le Finistère au milieu du XIXe siècle'', 1949 *''Armand Rébillon, Manuel d'histoire de Bretagne''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Goaziou, Adolphe 1887 births 1953 deaths People from Morlaix University of Paris alumni French Resistance members