CÉLINE, Louis-Ferdinand (1894–1961).

A strong reaction to an article on MONTHERLANT in *Le Figaro littéraire*. [André Rousseaux, ‘M. de Montherlant returns to literature’, 19 April 1947.] ‘The way you’re going in Le Figaro littéraire, I can no longer imagine that Gustave Lanson is actually dead, lest you find him suspicious! I have always read your columns with great interest and I believe we even corresponded amicably in the past… and now you’ve come to this!… CHÉNIER explains all this, as you know, in La Peur… I shall not be cruel. It is my turn to be indulgent, towards a veteran of two wars, 80 per cent disabled, holder of the Military Medal since October 1914! I shall not defend MONTHERLANT; he defends himself very well indeed, as the proof shows. He comes out of it without a scratch… But there are a few of us dying from imaginary crimes… In your review of the writers of this generation, do you count MORAND for nothing? Who, after all, is presenting *Ouvert la nuit* today? Is it Aragon-Balzac? George Sand-Triolet? You are too shrewd… No, in truth, the downfall is complete. Too many wars have drained the blood. We are down to the blood of turnips… And of turnips mad with themselves! Precisely what I wanted to spare us: to spare the blood. Nothing else! You will do me the honour of believing this and sparing me the insult. I value your esteem greatly. I know that martyrdom entails the abuse and spittle of fools. I do not count you among the latter; that is a great deal on my part. I have made too many enemies to get away with it, I know. A thousand times more of a bullfighter than MONTHERLANT, I have truly stepped into the arena, in person, and the beast has ripped me open; I lie here, sir, I do not have long left, and I salute you, but do not insult me. Your article is full of insults, unspoken but present’…