Pierre Boutang (20 September 1916 – 27 June 1998) was a French philosopher, poet and translator. He was also a political journalist, associated with the currents of Maurrasianism and

Royalism A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

Biography

Boutang was an alumnus of the '' Ecole Normale Supérieure'' (L 1935) and "agrégé de philosophie" in 1936, he participated that year in editing ''

Action Française Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 f ...

'' and showed fervent support for the ideas of

Charles Maurras Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet, and critic. He was an organizer and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that is monarchist, anti-parl ...

. He was a member of Giraud's government in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

in 1943, and enlisted in the French colonial army, serving in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. He was discharged without pension and prohibited from teaching. Thereafter he took up journalism, collaborating on ''

Aspects de la France Aspect or Aspects may refer to: Entertainment * ''Aspect magazine'', a biannual DVD magazine showcasing new media art * Aspect Co., a Japanese video game company * Aspects (band), a hip hop group from Bristol, England * ''Aspects'' (Benny Carter ...

'', where his articles from a royalist viewpoint showed obvious

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. He was a regular contributor to ''Bulletin de Paris'', where using a pseudonym, he reviewed plays. Seeking to renew

royalism A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

, in alignment with

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, with his friend Michel Vivier he founded the weekly ''

La Nation Française ''La Nation française'' ("The French Nation") was a French monarchist weekly magazine influenced by Charles Maurras, the founder of the Action française movement. It was founded in 1955 as an offshoot of '' Aspects de la France'', another monarc ...

'' in 1955, to which

Les Hussards ''Les Hussards'' ( en, Cavalrymen), is a French comedy film from 1955, directed by Alex Joffé, written by Gabriel Arout, starring Bernard Blier, Giovanna Ralli, Bourvil, and with Georges Wilson, Virna Lisi, Louis de Funès playing supporting rol ...

and also

Marcel Aymé Marcel Aymé (29 March 1902 – 14 October 1967) was a French novelist and playwright, who also wrote screenplays and works for children. Biography Marcel André Aymé was born in Joigny, in the Burgundy region of France, the youngest of si ...

, Gustave Thibon, and

Armand Robin Armand Robin (January 19, 1912 – March 30, 1961) was a French poet, translator, and journalist. He joined the French Anarchist Federation in 1945, which published his ''Poèmes indésirables'' (Undesirable Poems). He authored "La fausse ...

contributed. He wanted to create "a Sartre shelter" that also functioned against the adherents of

nihilism Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning. The term was popularized by Ivan ...

. He veered between supporting

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

and opposing him, insisting notably on the monarchical model on which, in his view, the constitution of the Cinquième République rested. Though he denounced the "terror" for which the FLN (Front de Libération Nationale Algérien) was responsible, Boutang refused to support the OAS. From the 1970s, his political declarations became rarer, but he showed a firm loyalty to the Comte de Paris. After representations by

Edmond Michelet Edmond Michelet (8 October 1899 – 9 October 1970) was a French politician. He is the father of the writer Claude Michelet. On 17 June 1940, he distributed tracts calling to continue the war in all Brive-la-Gaillarde's mailboxes. It is consid ...

Alain Peyrefitte Alain Peyrefitte (; 26 August 1925 – 27 November 1999) was a French scholar and politician. He was a confidant of Charles de Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland. Peyrefitte is remembered ...

and others, Boutang was allowed to teach by President de Gaulle in 1967. He taught philosophy at the Lycée Turgot, and then became a lecturer at the University of Brest in 1974. Finally he was appointed Professeur of Metaphysics 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 taught until 1984, continuing his seminars at his home in

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

until the end of his life. He died on 27 June 1998.

Works

Non-fiction * ''Amis du Maréchal'' (with Henri Dubreuil, 1941). * ''Sartre est-il un Possédé?'' (1946). * ''La Politique: la Politique Considérée comme Souci'' (1948). * ''La République de Joinovici'' (1949). * ''Les Abeilles de Delphes'' (1952). * ''Commentaire sur Quarante-neuf Dizains de la 'Délie (1953).Febvre, Lucien (1954)
"Pierre Boutang, Commentaire sur Quanrante-neuf Dizains de la Délie,"
''Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations'', Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 114–115. * ''La Terreur en Question'' (1958). * ''L'Ontologie du Secret'' (1973). * ''Reprendre le Pouvoir'' (1977). * ''Gabriel Marcel Interrogé'' (1977). * ''Apocalypse du Désir'' (1979). * ''La Fontaine Politique'' (1981). * ''Précis de Foutriquet. Contre Giscard'' (1981). * ''Maurras, la Destinée et l'Œuvre'' (1984). * ''Art Poétique'' (1988). * ''Karin Pozzi ou la Quête de l'Immortalité'' (1991). * ''Le Temps. Essai sur l'Origine'' (1993). * ''Dialogues. Sur le Mythe d'Antigone. Sur le Sacrifice d'Abraham'' (with

George Steiner Francis George Steiner, FBA (April 23, 1929 – February 3, 2020) was a Franco-American literary critic, essayist, philosopher, novelist, and educator. He wrote extensively about the relationship between language, literature and society, and the ...

, 1994). * ''La Fontaine. Les "Fables" ou la Langue des Dieux'' (1995). * ''William Blake Manichéen et Visionnaire'' (1990). Posthumous * ''La Source Sacrée'' (Les Abeilles de Delphes II, 2003). * ''Dialogue sur le Mal'' (with

, 2003). * ''La Guerre de Six Jours'' (2011). Fiction * ''La Maison un Dimanche. Suivi de Chez Madame Dorlinde'' (1947). * ''Quand le Furet s'Endort'' (1948). * ''Le Secret de René Dorlinde'' (1958). * ''Le Purgatoire'' (1976). Translations * ''Apologie de Socrate,'' by

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

(1946). * ''Le Banquet,'' by

(1972). * ''L'Auberge Volante,'' by G. K. Chesterton (1990). * ''Chansons et Mythes,'' by

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

(1989).

References

External links

Pierre Boutang: Action Française
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boutang, Pierre Christian existentialists 1916 births 1998 deaths Writers from Saint-Étienne French monarchists People affiliated with Action Française French Roman Catholics French traditionalist Catholics 20th-century French translators 20th-century French poets French male poets 20th-century male writers 20th-century French journalists 20th-century French philosophers Free French military personnel of World War II 20th-century French male writers