Francis Jeanson: A Dissident Intellectual from the French Resistance to the Algerian War

This new biography of Francis Jeanson follows the existential philosopher and political activist from his birth in 1922 to his participation in a government "cultural action" program in the late 1960s and '70s. As a young man, Jeanson escaped German-occupied France and joined the Resistance army in Africa. After the war, he pursued a career in France as a writer, philosopher (he was the "chosen disciple" of Jean-Paul Sartre), and editor at the Editions du Seuil. During the French-Algerian War, Jeanson founded the Jeanson Network, which collected and transported funds to support the Algerian side in the conflict. He and members of his network were tried and convicted of breaching the security of the state, but Jeanson was eventually reintegrated into French society. His participation in that historical moment and in controversies both philosophical and political that continue to rage today make for a compelling and pertinent read.

Author: Marie-Pierre Ulloa
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 03/28/2008
Pages: 376
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.38lbs
Size: 9.06h x 6.36w x 1.03d
ISBN: 9780804755085

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2008 pg. 4

About the Author
Marie-Pierre Ulloa is Associate Director of the Mediterranean Studies Forum and the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University.