François Maspero
Encyclopedia
François Maspero) is a French author and journalist, best known as a publisher of leftist books in the 1970s. He has also worked as a translator, translating the works of Joseph Conrad
and John Reed, author of Ten Days that Shook the World
, among others. He was awarded the Prix Décembre
in 1990 for Les Passagers du Roissy-Express.
of his parents and the cultural environment of his family. His father, Henri Maspero
, a sinologist and professor at the Collège de France
, died at Buchenwald, but his mother managed to return alive from Ravensbrück
. His grandfather, Gaston Maspero
, who died before his birth, was an Egyptologist.
François Maspero opened a book store in the Latin Quarter
in 1955, aged 23. He created in 1959, in the middle of the Algerian War, the Maspero publishing house, along with Marie-Thérèse Maugis. They would be joined by Jean-Philippe Bernigaud and Fanchita Gonzalez Batlle, and then by Émile Copfermann. The first two collections, "Cahiers libres" and "Textes à l'appui", particularly focused on the Algerian War, from an anti-colonialist perspective, and contestation of the French Communist Party
's stalinism
. Maspero published Frantz Fanon
's The Wretched of the Earth
(1961), censored
, with a preface from Jean-Paul Sartre
, as well as L'An V de la Révolution algérienne. Maspero published others testimonies concerning Algeria, and the use of torture by the French Army
, also censored. Beside being faced with courtsuits, Maspero was also the target of bombings.
He republished Paul Nizan
, Les Chiens de garde and Aden Arabie, also with a preface from Sartre. Then, he created the review Partisans which survived until 1973. New-comers start in the Cahiers libres collection, such as Régis Debray
in 1967 or Bernard-Henri Lévy
in 1973. Georges Perec
published his first texts in Partisans. In the 1960s, Maspero editions paid particular attention to the problems of the Third World
and of neo-colonialism, publishing among others books by Che Guevara
. He published Mongo Beti
's Cruel hand on Cameroon, autopsy of a decolonization in 1972, which was censored by the Ministry of the Interior Raymond Marcellin
on the request, brought forward by Jacques Foccart
, of the Cameroon government, represented in Paris by the ambassador Ferdinand Oyono
. In 1975, he republished Jean Maitron
's classic History of the anarchist movement in France (1880–1914). In 1983, Maspero publishing house was transformed into the Éditions La Découverte, later bought by Vivendi Universal Publishing.
Maspero was criticized by Situationists such as Guy Debord
, who used the term "masperize" to describe the falsification or corruption of a text, as by deleting segments from a quote without marking them.
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
and John Reed, author of Ten Days that Shook the World
Ten Days that Shook the World
Ten Days that Shook the World is a book by American journalist and socialist John Reed about the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 which Reed experienced firsthand. Reed followed many of the prominent Bolshevik leaders, especially Grigory Zinoviev and Karl Radek, closely during his time in Russia...
, among others. He was awarded the Prix Décembre
Prix Décembre
The Prix Décembre, originally known as the Prix Novembre, is one of France's premier literary awards. Its winners are generally far more radical choices than the more staid and conservative Prix Goncourt...
in 1990 for Les Passagers du Roissy-Express.
Biography
François Maspero's youth was marked by the engagement in the ResistanceFrench Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
of his parents and the cultural environment of his family. His father, Henri Maspero
Henri Maspero
Henri Maspero was a French sinologist, today particularly remembered for his pioneering works on Taoism.-Biography:...
, a sinologist and professor at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
, died at Buchenwald, but his mother managed to return alive from Ravensbrück
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
. His grandfather, Gaston Maspero
Gaston Maspero
Gaston Camille Charles Maspero was a French Egyptologist.-Life:Gaston Maspero was born in Paris to parents of Lombard origin. While at school he showed a special taste for history, and by the age of fourteen he was already interested in hieroglyphic writing...
, who died before his birth, was an Egyptologist.
François Maspero opened a book store in the Latin Quarter
Latin Quarter
Latin Quarter is a part of the 5th arrondissement in Paris.Latin Quarter may also refer to:* Latin Quarter , a British pop/rock band* Latin Quarter , a 1945 British film*Latin Quarter, Aarhus, part of Midtbyen, Aarhus C, Denmark...
in 1955, aged 23. He created in 1959, in the middle of the Algerian War, the Maspero publishing house, along with Marie-Thérèse Maugis. They would be joined by Jean-Philippe Bernigaud and Fanchita Gonzalez Batlle, and then by Émile Copfermann. The first two collections, "Cahiers libres" and "Textes à l'appui", particularly focused on the Algerian War, from an anti-colonialist perspective, and contestation of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
's stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
. Maspero published Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon was a Martiniquo-Algerian psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary and writer whose work is influential in the fields of post-colonial studies, critical theory and Marxism...
's The Wretched of the Earth
The Wretched of the Earth
The Wretched of the Earth is Frantz Fanon's most famous work, written during and regarding the Algerian struggle for independence from colonial rule...
(1961), censored
Censorship in France
France has a long history of governmental censorship, particularly in the 16th to 18th centuries, but today freedom of press is guaranteed by the French Constitution and instances of governmental censorship are relatively limited and isolated....
, with a preface from Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, as well as L'An V de la Révolution algérienne. Maspero published others testimonies concerning Algeria, and the use of torture by the French Army
Torture during the Algerian War
Elements of the French Armed Forces as well as of the opposing Algerian National Liberation Front made use of torture during the Algerian War of Independence , creating an ongoing public controversy. Pierre Vidal-Naquet estimates that there were "possibly hundreds of thousands of instances of...
, also censored. Beside being faced with courtsuits, Maspero was also the target of bombings.
He republished Paul Nizan
Paul Nizan
Paul Nizan was a French philosopher and writer.-Biography:He was born in Tours, Indre-et-Loire and studied in Paris where he befriended fellow student Jean-Paul Sartre at the Lycée Henri IV...
, Les Chiens de garde and Aden Arabie, also with a preface from Sartre. Then, he created the review Partisans which survived until 1973. New-comers start in the Cahiers libres collection, such as Régis Debray
Régis Debray
Jules Régis Debray is a French intellectual, journalist, government official and professor. He is known for his theorization of mediology, a critical theory of the long-term transmission of cultural meaning in human society; and for having fought in 1967 with Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in...
in 1967 or Bernard-Henri Lévy
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Bernard-Henri Lévy is a French public intellectual, philosopher and journalist. Often referred to today, in France, simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the "Nouveaux Philosophes" movement in 1976.-Early life:...
in 1973. Georges Perec
Georges Perec
Georges Perec was a French novelist, filmmaker, documentalist and essayist. He is a member of the Oulipo group...
published his first texts in Partisans. In the 1960s, Maspero editions paid particular attention to the problems of the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
and of neo-colonialism, publishing among others books by Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
. He published Mongo Beti
Mongo Beti
Alexandre Biyidi Awala , known as Mongo Beti, was a Cameroonian writer.- Life :Though he lived in exile for many decades, Beti's life reveals an unflagging commitment to improvement of his home country...
's Cruel hand on Cameroon, autopsy of a decolonization in 1972, which was censored by the Ministry of the Interior Raymond Marcellin
Raymond Marcellin
Raymond Marcellin was a French politician.- Biography :The son of a banker, he studied law at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris. He worked as a lawyer for three years, before being called into the army in September 1939. He was captured by the Wehrmacht, but managed to...
on the request, brought forward by Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart was a chief adviser for the government of France on African policy as well as the co-founder of the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique in 1959 with Charles Pasqua, which specialized in covert operations in Africa.From 1960 to 1974, he was the President of France's chief of staff...
, of the Cameroon government, represented in Paris by the ambassador Ferdinand Oyono
Ferdinand Oyono
Ferdinand Léopold Oyono was an author from Cameroon whose work is recognized for a sense of irony that reveals how easily people can be fooled...
. In 1975, he republished Jean Maitron
Jean Maitron
Jean Maitron was a French historian specialist of the labour movement. A pioneer of such historical studies in France, he introduced it to University and gave it its archives base, by creating in 1949 the Centre d'histoire du syndicalisme in the Sorbonne, which received important archives from...
's classic History of the anarchist movement in France (1880–1914). In 1983, Maspero publishing house was transformed into the Éditions La Découverte, later bought by Vivendi Universal Publishing.
Maspero was criticized by Situationists such as Guy Debord
Guy Debord
Guy Ernest Debord was a French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationist International . He was also briefly a member of Socialisme ou Barbarie.-Early Life:Guy Debord was born in Paris in 1931...
, who used the term "masperize" to describe the falsification or corruption of a text, as by deleting segments from a quote without marking them.
Works
- 1984 - Cat's Grin
- L'ombre d'une photographe, Gerda TaroGerda TaroGerda Taro was born into a Polish Jewish family living in Germany. She became a war photographer, and the companion and professional partner of photographer Robert Capa...
, Le Seuil (Paris, 2006) ISBN 2-02-085817-7 - 1990 Les passagers du Roissy Express, w/photographs by Anaïk Frantz. Seuil, Paris 1990. ISBN 202012467X . English vers. Roissy Express: a journey through the Paris suburbs trans. Paul Jones. Verso, London 1994, ISBN 0860913732.
A few books published by François Maspero
- Oury, FernandFernand OuryFernand Oury was a pedagogue and creator of modern French schooling, recommending a "school of the people", where the children are no longer the passive ones "taught", but the people with a whole share in managing their training and the everyday life of their classes...
and Aïda Vasquez. Vers une pédagogie institutionnelle (Towards an Institutional PedagogyInstitutional pedagogyInstitutional pedagogy is a practice of education that is centered on two factors: 1. the complexity of the learner, and the "unconscious" that he or she brings to the classroom. This unconscious is another name for the diversity of social, economic, cultural and other unspoken elements that an...
) 1968.
See also
- Censorship in FranceCensorship in FranceFrance has a long history of governmental censorship, particularly in the 16th to 18th centuries, but today freedom of press is guaranteed by the French Constitution and instances of governmental censorship are relatively limited and isolated....