Great and neglected, Paul Claudel’s war diary

Paul Claudel’s little-known diary gives a clear vision of his political positions from the Debacle to the end of the war: after the moment of disarray and the “Paroles au Maréchal” Claudel proved to be a virulent anti-Petainist and openly denounced the regime’s anti-Semitism, though he also expressed reservations about republican parliamentarism. This same diary gives insight into his stern approach to the Classical and Romantic works of French literature.