vive la france!

in honor of the SG's upcoming trip to france (and because malraux is one of my favorite french writers--check out the dashing, wind swept photo):

November 3, 2007

Andre Malraux

On this date in 1901, writer and freedom fighter Andre Malraux was born in Paris, France. Malraux studied Asian language at the Ecole des Langues Orientales. Not completing his studies, he traveled to Asia as a young man, becoming a noted critic of French colonial rule in Indochina. He cofounded the Young Annam League and founded the newspaper, Indochina in Chains. His first novel, The Temptation of the West, was published in 1926, followed by The Conquerors (1928), The Royal Way (1930), Man's Fate (1934), Days of Hope (1937), and The Walnut Trees of Altenburg (1943). After joining archaeological expeditions to Iran and Afghanistan in the 1930s, Malraux cofounded the International Association of Writers for the Defense of Culture. During the Spanish Civil War, Malraux flew on missions as a pilot for the Republicans, and was wounded twice. He also traveled to the United States to try to raise money for the Republican cause.

"Man defines himself by what he does, not by what he dreams," he wrote. A fictional account of his experiences, (L'Espoir) was published in 1937, and a movie followed in 1939. During WWII, Malraux joined the French Army, was captured in 1940 during the Western Offensive, escaped and joined the French Resistance. In 1944, he was captured by the Gestapo, and, following a mock execution, was rescued by the Resistance. He then joined the Free French and fought at Strasbourg and the takeover of Stuttgart. He was awarded the Medal of the Resistance, the Croix de Guerre, and the British Distinguished Service Order. Gen. Charles De Gaulle appointed Malraux his minister of information in 1945-1946. During the 1950s, Malraux wrote about aesthetics and art. He served as minister of cultural affairs in 1960-1967. His autobiography, Anti-Memoirs, was published in 1967. D. 1976.

“To the absurd myths of God and an immortal soul, the modern world in its radical impotence has only succeeded in opposing the ridiculous myths of science and progress.”
-- Andre Malraux, cited in Who's Who In Hell edited by Warren Allen Smith

Freethought of the Day is courtesy of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, PO Box 750, Madison WI 53701. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national association of freethinkers (atheists and agnostics) working to keep church and state separate since 1978. For more information, go to http://www.ffrf.org.