Thierry Maulnier (born Jacques Talagrand; 1 October 1909,

Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie regions of France, region in southern France. It is one of the Subprefectures in France, su ...

– 9 January 1988,

Marnes-la-Coquette Marnes-la-Coquette () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. Located from the centre of Paris, the town is situated in the Hauts-de-Seine department on the departmental border with Yvelines between the Parc de Saint-Cloud and the ...

) was a French journalist, essayist, dramatist, and literary critic. He was married to theatre director

Marcelle Tassencourt Marcelle Tassencourt (28 May 1914 – 18 December 2001) was a French actress and theatre director. In 1960, she was appointed head of the Théâtre Montansier in Versailles. She was a drama teacher at the Versailles conservatory. Among her stud ...

Early years

A graduate of the

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

in the same class as

Roger Vailland Roger Vailland (16 October 1907 – 12 May 1965) was a French novelist, essayist, and screenwriter. Biography Vailland was born in Acy-en-Multien, Oise. His novels include the prize winning ''Drôle de jeu'' (1945), ''Les mauvais coups'' (194 ...

Robert Brasillach Robert Brasillach (; 31 March 1909 – 6 February 1945) was a French author and journalist. Brasillach was the editor of ''Je suis partout'', a nationalist newspaper which advocated fascist movements and supported Jacques Doriot. After the liberat ...

, and

Maurice Bardèche Maurice Bardèche (1 October 1907 – 30 July 1998) was a French art critic and journalist, better known as one of the leading exponents of neo-fascism in post–World War II Europe. Bardèche was also the brother-in-law of the collaborationist ...

. While still a student, Maulnier became active in the

integralist In politics, integralism, integrationism or integrism (french: intégrisme) is an interpretation of Catholic social teaching that argues for an Authoritarianism, authoritarian and anti-Pluralism (political philosophy), pluralist Christian sta ...

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 published in

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 ...

' newspaper (''L'Action française''). He made a career in journalism and took part in the movement of the

Non-conformists of the 1930s The non-conformists of the 1930s were groups and individuals during the inter-war period in France that were seeking new solutions to face the political, economical and social crisis. The name was coined in 1969 by the historian Jean-Louis Loubet ...

, inspired by the

personalist Personalism is an intellectual stance that emphasizes the importance of human persons. Personalism exists in many different versions, and this makes it somewhat difficult to define as a philosophical and theological movement. Friedrich Schleierm ...

generation of young

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

s who shared some of the ideals of the Action Française, holding

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

beliefs as an answer to a "''crisis of civilization''" and

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

. He also campaigned against democracy and capitalism, advocating a union of the right and left to overthrow the two. Thierry Maulnier associated with youth periodicals such as ''Réaction'', ''La Revue du Siècle'', and ''La Revue française''; he also wrote his first volume, ''La crise est dans l'homme'' ("Crisis Is in Man"). In 1934, he authored, with

Jean-Pierre Maxence Jean-Pierre Maxence (20 August 1906 – 16 May 1956) was a French writer who was one of the so-called Non-conformists of the 1930s. Maxence was a leading figure within the so-called ''Jeune Droite'' tendency and was associated with other Catholic w ...

, the

manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

''Demain la France'' ("Tomorrow, France"). Maxence and Maulnier also founded the weekly ''L'Insurgé'' in 1936 lasting only a few months, the magazine circulated

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

tenets, reviewed in Maulnier's 1938 essay ''Au-delà du nationalisme'' ("Beyond Nationalism"). At the same time, he joined

Jean de Fabrègues Jean d'Azémar de Fabrègues (8 January 1906 – 23 November 1983) was a French Catholic intellectual and journalist. He was a "traditional" Catholic, rejecting the materialism of both liberal democracy and the totalitarian regimes of the right and ...

in the creation of a more analytical paper, ''

Combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

'', one which would be published until France's defeat in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

World War II and after

A regular contributor to ''L'Action française'' since 1938, Maulnier continued to publish after

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

occupation of France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

(from 1940); he also started writing for ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...

''. He ceased writing for the paper after the start of

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

in 1942, and remained a journalist for ''Le Figaro'' from 1945 until his death. With the beginning of the Fourth Republic, Maulnier no longer engaged in politics. He wrote plays (''La Course des rois'' - 1947; ''Le Profanateur'' - 1950, ''La Ville au fond de la mer'' - 1953, ''Le Soir du conquérant'' - 1970) and essays (''Violence et conscience'' - 1945, ''La Face de méduse du communisme'' - 1952, ''L'Europe a fait le monde'' - 1966, ''Le Sens des mots'' - 1976, ''Les Vaches sacrées'' - 1977), but also commented on social themes (with Maulnier as a staunch

Pro-European Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Polit ...

). In 1964, he was elected to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

in place of the deceased

Henry Bordeaux Henry Bordeaux (25 January 1870 – 29 March 1963) was a French writer and lawyer. Bordeaux came from a family of lawyers of Savoy. He was born in Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie. His grandfather was a magistrate and his father served on the Cha ...

. In 1986 he was awarded the

Prix mondial Cino Del Duca The Prix mondial Cino Del Duca (Cino Del Duca World Prize) is an international literary award. With an award amount of , it is among the richest literary prizes. Origins and operations It was established in 1969 in France by Simone Del Duca (19 ...

Works

* ''La crise est dans l'homme'' (1932) * ''

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...

'' (1933) * ''

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

'' (1934) * ''Miracle de la Monarchie'' (1935) * ''Mythes socialistes'' (1938) * ''Au-delà du nationalisme'' (1938) * ''Introduction à la poésie française'' (1939) * ''La France, la guerre et la paix'' (1942, Lyon) * ''Violence et conscience'' (1945) * ''Langages ''(1946) * ''Jeanne et ses juges'' (1952) * ''Le Sexe et le néant'', directed by

Théâtre de l'Athénée The Théâtre de l'Athénée is a theatre at 7 rue Boudreau, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Renovated in 1996 and classified a historical monument, the Athénée inherits an artistic tradition marked by the figure of Louis Jouvet who dire ...

(1960) * ''Cette Grèce où nous sommes nés'' (1964) * ''La Défaite d'hannibal'', followed by ''La ville au fond de la mer'', Gallimard (1968) * ''Dialogue inattendu'', with Jean Elleinstein, Flammarion (1979) ;Theatre * 1944: ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...

'' by

Robert Garnier Robert Garnier (1544 – 20 September 1590) was a French poet and dramatist. He published his first work while still a law-student at Toulouse, where he won a prize (1565) in the Académie des Jeux Floraux. It was a collection of lyrical pi ...

, Théâtre Charles de Rochefort,

Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier is a theatre located at 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1913 by the theatre producer and playwright Jacques Copeau. Today it is one of the three theatres in Paris u ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maulnier, Thierry 1909 births 1988 deaths People from Alès 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights French literary critics French monarchists French political writers Writers from Occitania (administrative region) People affiliated with Action Française French anti-communists École Normale Supérieure alumni Members of the Académie Française 20th-century French essayists 20th-century French journalists Le Figaro people Non-conformists of the 1930s