The discovery and accusations of theft, first revealed in the newspaper Le Monde over the summer, set off a new reckoning in France about Céline. David Alliot, a literary researcher, said the issue for many French was that while Céline was a “literary genius,” he was a deeply flawed human being. It’s the history of France that we find through these manuscripts.”The fate of these papers has long been murky. He said he left his manuscripts behind in his Montmartre apartment, stuffed above a cupboard. Céline returned to France in 1951 after receiving amnesty.

Source: New York Times October 26, 2021 21:34 UTC