Le grand individu mène le monde: l'engagement de l'auteur André Suarès dans le débat politique en France pendant l'entre-deux-guerres

Abstract

This thesis analyses the role the French author André Suarès has played in the French literary field during the interwar period of 1929-1939. Using the sociological theory of the French social scientist Pierre Bourdieu, I could construct a theoretical framework with which I could demonstrate how the social, cultural, economic and symbolic capital, as well as the notion of habitus have contributed to the identity of the author. The piece Vues sur l’Europe stands central in this thesis. This book demonstrates Suarès’ visions of Europe on the eve of the Second World War. By analysing the biography of André Suarès I have been able to gain insight in how Suarès saw himself as an author compared to his other colleagues. In the last section, I have analysed how other prestigious figures of that time perceived Suarès and his work. In short, André Suarès was a unique figure in the literary field: because of his rich habitus, he had obtained his social and symbolic capital. Suarès presented himself as an intellectual author who could see certain developments others barely envisioned, especially the rise of dictatorships. Hence, Suarès had been able to write in an independent way, without considering other political interests. This position brought him an elitist status, as well as a solitary position in the literary field which was, eventually, his strength. The reception of Vues sur l’Europe varied, but its critics stressed that Suarès’ prestigious status as an author allowed him to write controversial and provocative pieces.