I havent read "Jean-Christophe" and thus discovers with Romain Rolland "Above the fray." I mattendais to writings of a passionate pacifist and perhaps irrational, well it is not that at all.
Romain Rolland deeply loves German culture of a Goethe, Beethoven and Nietzsche. It is terribly bruised by the outbreak of war and sen takes very strongly to imperialism German ruling classes. He also critical intelligentsia of this country whose nationalist postures justify the invasion of Belgium, the destruction of Louvain or the bombing of Reims Cathedral (the right of the strongest).
In short, we are dealing with a French who from the beginning of the war defending German culture (not the Germans are not the Huns!) But criticizes European leaders who wallow in the gutter nationalism.
Romain Rolland refuses to ride in the ambient stupidity and pushes the intellectuals of all countries to raise the debate to create the conditions of a return to balanced peace, without rancor, without annexations but on the basis of the right to dispose two- same.
In recent articles, he'll turn to the fighters. Who better chef can describe ongoing fratricidal butchery?
But he also knows that he can not ask disobedience or unilateral cessation of fighting. The demobilization of a country would cause his defeat and enslavement by the winner.
His lucid and reasonable position, so rare at the time, earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915, the French nationalist hatred and disdain of German intellectuals.
Enlightened and visionary humanist prototype leuropéen modern, Romain Rolland is probably too often forgotten today.
In these times when LEUROPE is again shaken by nationalist crises, "Above the fray" is to read, read, and to read.
