Political essay by 93-year-old tops Christmas bestseller list in France

[csziggy]

I hope they put a version out in English!

Political essay by 93-year-old tops Christmas bestseller list in France

<SNIP>
Launched in October by Indigène, a small publisher working out of an attic in Montpellier, southern France, the book had a tiny first print-run, 6,000, and sold for €3, unprecedentedly cheap in a country where book prices are regulated and kept high by the law.

Hessel's success has stunned France. After two months on the bestseller lists, the book has spent five weeks at number one, beating Michel Houellebecq's award-winning latest novel La Carte et le Territoire and a host of Christmas fiction. It has sold 600,000 copies and – publishers predict it will reach a million. Translations are underway for Italy and other European markets.

<SNIP>

Hessel was born in Berlin in 1917 and emigrated to France aged seven. His free-spirited mother, Helen Grund-Hessel, inspired the novel Jules et Jim, which became Francois Truffaut's film about a love-triangle of two male friends and a woman who loves them both. During the Nazi occupation of France, Hessel joined the French resistance, was caught, tortured and and deported to Buchenwald and Dora concentration camps where he escaped hanging. After the war, he helped to draft the universal declaration of human rights and later became a diplomat.

Hessel's book argues that French people should re-embrace the values of the French resistance, which have been lost, which was driven by indignation, and French people need to get outraged again. "This is an appeal to citizens, young and old, to take responsibility for the things in our society that don't work," he said. "I wish every one of you to find your own reason for indignation. It's precious." Hessel's reasons for personal outrage include the growing gap between the very rich and the very poor, France's shocking treatment of its illegal immigrants, the need to re-establish a free press, protecting the environment, the plight of Palestinians and the importance of protecting the French welfare system. He calls for peaceful and non-violent insurrection.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/26/stephane-hessel-93-french-bestseller

Hessel was previous mentioned in a post here: http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x408141

[dana_b]

1. mandatory reading

maybe the French will make it mandatory. One could hope. :) I hope it makes it here soon.

[snappyturtle]

2. a gathering storm....good nt

[sabrina 1]

3. Thank you for this post.

"This is an appeal to citizens, young and old, to take responsibility for the things in our society that don't work," he said. "I wish every one of you to find your own reason for indignation. It's precious." Hessel's reasons for personal outrage include the growing gap between the very rich and the very poor, France's shocking treatment of its illegal immigrants, the need to re-establish a free press, protecting the environment, the plight of Palestinians and the importance of protecting the French welfare system. He calls for peaceful and non-violent insurrection.

We so badly need that advice here also. I hope his book is sold here. I think those who lived through the horrible wars in Europe have a far better understanding of the warning signs than those of us who were not there. We should listen to them.

:kick:

[Little Star]

4. Where is our american Stéphane Hessel? ....

This book writing seems like a good way to start our Democratic version of the tea party.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Unfortunately, our Stéphane Hessels are employed by the rightwing corporate/oil/death machine.

Which is to say, we don't seem to have one on the left, at least not that gets listened to - we have Gore Vidal and that other guy whose name I can't remember, dammit, because I'm getting old... wait, Noam Chomsky. That's the guy. Anyway, we have him, but the only people reading these guys are the people who are already outraged and know that everything gone's to shit.

The right, unfortunately is able to muster asshole after asshole to roust the masses, bring them into a focused coherent vision, and everything else that the left needs to be doing but doesn't seem able to do so.

And that's not to criticize the left for failure - part of the problem is that people on the left who SHOULD get heard get token TV time, if any, while the right gets about 95% of the media attention.

[Little Star]

7. I was thinking of some unknown regular person who...

could write well. Someone who could reach the sleeping populous with their words and call us to band together and rise up.

As you can tell it won't be me cause I can't write for shit! lol

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. I think we have a lot of those people - but it requires the media to help along.

Imagine if in France all the media were saying that the guy's book was treasonous, helping the terrorists, destructive, socialist, communist, and so on. Barring the fact that in France being called "socialist" isn't a bad thing, and that French people aren't so concerned about being "treasonous" (play along with me in this thought experiment) the book wouldn't sell for shit.

And that's what would happen in the US.

it's the cynical part of me, but I think it's real - we have many of these guys, but the media won't fucking touch 'em. And if, for some miraculous reason, someone self-published and the book began to gain traction and gain the notice of the powers that be, the media are very well prepared and positioned to shit all over it and do everything they can to ensure that the book stopped selling and, perhaps, that anyone who bought it might be considered a "person of interest".

[Little Star]

12. I hear you, cause I am also pretty cynical. I don't doubt for a...

minute that some of your predictions could actually happen. But we can't ever stop trying things until we find something that works. We Dems need a movement.

In my fantasy I see us (average people like you & me) promoting "this book" via our own media like e-mail, twitter, face-book, etc. Screw the corporate media! I think it would be a awesome way to start a movement. Now if someone would just write the dang book. lol

[wellst0nev0ter]

6. We're Too Afraid To Appeal To People's Lizard Brains

Here is Hessel linking French reform with the struggles of the Resistance under Nazi rule, where the French had a common enemy. Back then, there was a very tangible problem with France, and people needed to rise up and solve it. No eggheaded position papers or wonky nitpickings, it's an easy to follow narrative that makes appeals to French pride and patriotism.

We in this country, or at least those who are Serious People, are too afraid of making enemies of banksters, T-baggers, and all the other assorted crooks in order to make our narrative easier to sell. And look where we are today.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. And you have hit the nail on the head here - we (liberals and sensibles) fear the lizard brain.

And, in many respects, rightfully so - appeals to the lizard brain are devoid of reason and all that is elegant and right about human evolution.

But, since the right ONLY appeals there, and, sadly, since the vast majority of humanity couldn't give a shit about reason or logic, going for the lizard brain is the only thing that will have ANY hope of inciting the people to throw off the rightwing shitbags.

[malaise]

8. Super post

I have to get a copy.

Rec

[rug]

11. Hope it comes out in English soon.