450
PARTISAN REVIEW
At this point, everything becomes clear. Bourdet's whole construc–
tion is based on the postulate that the non-existence of serious political
ferment in present-day France is
caused
by the cold war. Once a declara:
tion of independence from the cold war had been broadcast, things would
start moving again, thinks Bourdet. Which amounts to saying that, in
order to influence domestic policies, you must first force a change in
foreign policy, and, in order to change foreign policy, you must
start radical internal reforms. Here "neutralism" is used as a slogan for
the masses by people who have no masses.
Nicola Chiaromonte
II
NOTES ON THE LI TERARY SITUATION
The literary prizes in France this year were awarded amidst
more than the usual amount of grousing by established critics. In
his
weekly column in the
Figaro litteraire,
Andre Rousseaux commented
acidly, shortly before the prizes were given out, that "the literary prize
week in France is, in my opinion, a phenomenon in the history of
modern manners related to the sweepstakes or the Tour de France"
(the annual bicycle race around Franc.e). "One sees books pop up whose
relations with literature of quality are so tenuous that they almost defy
inspection." After this unpromising prelude, Rousseaux proceeded to
knock off the leading contenders for the prizes in a couple of biting
paragraphs each-and remarked, in conclusion, "we shall return next
Saturday to serious matters."l
Nonetheless, the prize-giving was enlivened by a sizzling exchange
of insults between Herve Bazin-a young novelist whose three books
have attracted considerable attention-and Maurice Nadeau, the lit–
erary critic of the newspaper
Combat
and the author of a useful
His–
toire du Surrealisme.
There was a good deal of talk about Bazin getting
1.
For purposes of information, the prize-winners are as follows. Prix Gon–
court:
Les jeux sauvages,
by
Paul Colin. Prix Femina:
La femme sans passe,
by
Serge Groussard. Prix Renaudot:
Les orgues de I'en/er,
by
Pierre Molaine.
