Henri Massis (21 March 1886 – 16 April 1970) was a conservative French essayist, literary critic and literary historian.

Biography

Massis was born on 21 March 1886 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He attended

Lycée Condorcet The Lycée Condorcet () is a school founded in 1803 in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's 9th arrondissement. It is one of the four oldest high schools in Paris and also one of the most prestigious. Since its inception, var ...

and

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. He began his publishing career in his early twenties with his works ''Comment Émile Zola Composait ses Romans'', ''Le Puits de Pyrrhon'', and ''La Pensée de Maurice Barrès''. He collaborated with his friend Alfred de Tarde, they published essays commenting on the French university system and the generation of 1912. Massis converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in 1913 and, following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, called for a revival of the French spirit and Catholicism. Starting in 1920, he served as editor for the newly formed ''Revue Universelle'' and worked to spread Christian political philosophy. He published two volumes of ''Jugements'' that critically analysed the moral teachings of numerous writers such as Ernest Renan and

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1947). Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism ...

. Massis' political writings expressed his concerns over what he viewed as a threat to postwar French society, including

Bolshevism Bolshevism (from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined party of social revolution, ...

and Oriental

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

. While involved in the

Vichy Government Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

during

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 opposing ...

, Massis refused to collaborate with the Nazi movement. After the war, he was placed in an

internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

for only one month, and then released. Massis worked for Plon after the war, and his writings reflected his disdain of Nazism in Germany, and Bolshevism in Russia. Massis was elected to the Académie française in 1960 and died in Paris on 16 April 1970.

Bibliography

* (1905). ''Comment Émile Zola Composait ses Romans''. * (1907). ''Le Puits de Pyrrhon''. * (1909). ''La Pensée de Maurice Barrès''. * (1911). ''L'Esprit de la nouvelle Sorbonne'', ith Alfred de Tarde * (1913). ''Les Jeunes Gens d'aujourd'hui'', ith Alfred de Tarde * (1915). ''Romain Rolland contre la France''. * (1915). ''Luther Prophète du Germanisme''. * (1916). ''La Vie d'Ernest Psichari''. * (1916). ''Impressions de Guerre''. * (1917). ''Le Sacrifice (1914-1916)''. * (1920). ''La Trahison de Constantin''. * (1921). ''Jérusalem le Jeudi-Saint de 1918''. * (1923). ''Jugements I: Renan, France, Barrès''. * (1924). ''Jugements II: André Gide, Romain Rolland, Georges Duhamel, Julien Benda, les Chapelles Littéraires''. * (1924). ''De Lorette à Jérusalem''. * (1924). ''Le Réalisme de Pascal''. * (1925). ''Jacques Rivière''. * (1927). ''En Marge de "Jugements"''. * (1927). ''Réflexions sur l'Art du Roman''. * (1927). ''Défense de l'Occident''. * (1928). ''Avant-postes''. * (1931). ''Évocations. Souvenirs (1905-1911)''. * (1932). ''Dix ans Après''. * (1934). ''Débats'', vol. * (1936). ''Les Cadets de l'Alcazar''. * (1936). ''Notre ami Psichari''. * (1937). ''Le Drame de Marcel Proust''. * (1937). ''L'Honneur de Servir''. * (1939). ''Chefs. Les Dictateurs et Nous''. * (1940). ''La Guerre de Trente ans: Destin d'un Age (1909-1939)''. * (1941). ''Les Idées Restent''. * (1942). ''La Prière de Lyautey''. * (1944). ''Découverte de la Russie''. * (1948). ''D'André Gide à Marcel Proust''. * (1949). ''Allemagne d'hier et d'Après-demain''. * (1949). ''Portrait de M. Renan''. * (1951). ''Maurras et Notre Temps'' Vol. * (1956). ''L'Occident et son Destin''. * (1958). ''Visage des Idées''. * (1948). ''À Contre-courant''. * (1958). ''L'Europe en Question''. * (1959). ''De l'Homme à Dieu''. * (1961). ''Salazar Face à Face''. * (1962). ''Barrès et Nous, Suivi d’une Correspondance Inédite (1906-1923)''. * (1967). ''Au Long d'une Vie''. Works in English translation * (1928). ''Defence of the West'', Harcourt, Brace & Company ith_a_preface_by_G._K._Chesterton.html" ;"title="G._K._Chesterton.html" ;"title="ith a preface by G. K. Chesterton">ith a preface by G. K. Chesterton">G._K._Chesterton.html" ;"title="ith a preface by G. K. Chesterton">ith a preface by G. K. Chesterton * (1958). ''The Choice before Europe'', London: Eyre & Spottiswoode [with Alphonse Pierre Juin].

References

External links

Académie française
* *
Pictures of Henri Massis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massis, Henri 1886 births 1970 deaths Writers from Paris French male essayists French Roman Catholic writers French literary critics French literary historians Lycée Condorcet alumni People affiliated with Action Française People of Vichy France University of Paris alumni Members of the Académie Française Order of the Francisque recipients 20th-century French essayists 20th-century French male writers

Biography

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links