literature
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Paradise Lost by Sébastien de Courtois
There is a nostalgia for a lost paradise. We all feel it, more or less; it connects us to Original Sin and the Fall. This affliction torments pure souls. It lurks and agitates. A quintessential youthful affliction, a romantic folly, this nostalgia lies at the heart of Sébastien de Courtois's novel, Continue reading
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Letter to my friend Alvaro Mutis
One day in the 1990s, we were walking down the street, having just left the Hôtel des Saints-Pères, and Alvaro Mutis stopped abruptly. We were almost at the corner of Rue de Grenelle, and he said to me, "Emmanuel, I have the feeling we walked like this together a long time ago on a street in Cádiz." And we... Continue reading
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Another year comes to an end…
As the year draws to a close, we often cast only a fleeting glance. We shouldn't dwell on it too much. We never know how many things we've forced ourselves to bury might resurface, like those impromptu, rude, and irritating pop-up windows on the internet. One exercise we can try is to... Continue reading
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Commemorative phrase
A friend contacted me to ask for the exact quote from Ernst Jünger (from Storm of Steel) that we officers of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment liked to repeat. I'm posting it on this blog because I remember that General Antoine Lecerf was fond of this quote and that it suits him perfectly: He... Continue reading
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Tribute to Jean-Marie Domenach
Rereading notes I took years ago while reading Jean-Marie Domenach's *The Return of the Tragic*, I remember our meeting. I see him arriving at my small studio in La Fourche, asking me for a glass of wine, and me beginning to explain in detail the direction I was taking. Continue reading
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Confession of a Player (His Life as Told by Maradona)
The life of Diego Armando Maradona is a fairy tale. Because Maradona always remained a child. It is therefore a children's story, and as such, it is edifying. Those who say that Maradona wasn't exemplary enough for an athlete of his caliber are wrong. Continue reading