Le choc de l'histoire: Religion, mémoire, identité

by Dominique Venner

The shock of history: we live it, neither knowing or comprehending it. France, Europe, and the world have entered into a new era of thought, attitudes, and powers. This shock of history makes clear the fact that there is no such thing as an insurmountable destiny. The time will come for Europe to awaken, to respond to the challenges of immigration, toxic ideologies, the perils of globalism, and the confusion that assails her. But under what conditions? That is the question to which this book responds. Conceived in the form of a lively and dynamic interview with a historian who, after taking part in history himself, never ceased to study and reflect upon it. In this text, the first of his major works to appear in English, Dominique Venner recounts the great movements of European history, the origin of its thought, and its tragedies. He proposes new paths and offers powerful examples to ward off decadence, and to understand the history in which we are immersed and in which we lead our lives.

Genres: History, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Nonfiction, France

181 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Award-winning French historian, journalist and writer.

Venner was a member of the Organisation de l'armée secrète and later became a European nationalist before withdrawing from politics to focus on a career as a historian. He specialized in military and political history. At the time of his death, he was the editor of the La Nouvelle Revue d'Histoire, a bimonthly history magazine. On 21 May 2013, Venner committed suicide inside the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris.

Reviews

[Uxküll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although slightly apologetic, i.e. attempting to describe versions of honorable voluntary suicide to bolster his own conviction regarding his eventual suicide in Notredame Cathedral, Venner writes a book that is primarily edifying. Taking a somewhat eclectic position, Venner thinks the future of the European peoples lies with a resurrection of the old infused with the new. Creating a kind of "Orange Catholic Bible" seems to be on his mind, a project I am quite in favor of. Buy this book if you are interested in history, autobiography, and/or the European past and present existential condition.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to BAP for introducing me to Venner’s work.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opener

At first, I felt it an insult that a common reader, such as myself should even think of writing a review for this work. Even though "just an interview," I hold this book in high regard. I want to read his books, explore his ideas. His idea, he claims, to be an old one. We, as Europeans by birth or abroad, have as our cultural birthright the ideals of Homer. This makes us who we are. I enjoyed this book. I revel in this. I thirst for more.

[Tay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As the repository of a unique treasure, every historical community has legitimately considered itself the chosen people of its own gods. Through the form they inherit, every people has its own path. Their vocation is to hold onto it through hazards and changes, by confronting threats from inside and out.... What history reveals goes beyond the facts, beyond the ‘physical’, and beyond the mere restitution of the facts of the past. History creates sense. In the ephemeral nature of the human condition, it is a manifestation of eternity and tradition. By saving the memories of our forebears from the depths of oblivion, it steps into the future. It fulfils the inherent human desire for posterity, the desire to survive one’s own death and make it into the memory of future generations. The hope of leaving a trace upon their memory is why we endeavour to forge the future. Passing on their lineage was one of the means by which our ancestors escaped the confines of their finite existence.”

[Radu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of commentaries about certain essays that the author made about his historical works relating to his own personal experiences fighting in the Algerian War of Independence, his political activism in France after leaving the French armed forces, WWII and even classical literature (The Odyssey, The Iliad, etc).

It is quite clear to see that Dominique Venner takes a very holistic view of history, almost to the point of viewing it as a science (though he dismisses this in one chapter of the book) and in the collective identity of every given people made manifest by a combination of history and personal memory.

The Shock of History, in this context, denotes the sudden shock to the system certain events have had on the course of history at several points during the course of recent history and whose ripples will continue to be felt for decades (or centuries) to come.

[Aleksandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some inexplicable reason Venner's work has largely went under my radar, despite my interest in the topics he writes about, and my personal convictions which are pretty close to his. Much of it is owed to the fact that my knowledge of French (as well as German and Italian for that matter) is not nearly adequate to be able to comprehend the complexity of his thought (something which I intend to rectify in the future), and translations into English are rare. Fortunately, I have inadvertently stumbled into a somewhat of a tradition of starting the year with a Venner book - another thing which I intend to continue in the future. And there are few things better, than starting off the year with a great book! And this is a great book!

Structured in a format of an interview, Venner expounds on various themes and ideas, to which he has dedicated his life's work. The thread which connects all of the ideas contained in the book is the shock of history - the state in which European civilisation has found itself at the end of the two World Wars, a Europe morally, politically and spiritually crushed, with an affliction towards cultural masochism, and a feeling of guilt imposed by her enemies (both American and Soviet imperialism). According to Venner, under the almost complete dominion of American capitalism, modern European man has become a zombie "a new man" of the future, "devoid of depth, and possessed by the spirit of unlimited universal commerce". This is further exacerbated by the mass immigration of foreigners who are the necessary food for the further zombification of Europe.

Following Junger, Venner understands that the crisis is not political - it is spiritual and civilisational, and as such it requires more than political solutions - it enters in the domain of metapolitics. And, Venner is hopeful (his act of suicide was not born out of despair!) - he finds in the rich identitarian memory of Europe the possibility for such metapolitical action: "it is up to us to rediscover, cultivate and to create a metaphysical memory of it, one that structures and responds to the confusion of our age". From this, he draws probably the best definition of Tradition which I have read: "it is not the past, it is that which does not pass away".

It is in Homer, according to Venner where the legacy of the European soul is to be found: "With Homer, the future takes root in the memory of the past". It is present in what is termed "Homer's Triad", a sort-of Nietzschean approach to life and conduct: "nature as our model, beauty as our goal, the creative force that always pushes towards self-overcoming, and excellence as the ideal of life". This requires a noble disposition - a code of ethics and behavioral rigor - an acceptance of higher duty to command and protect and a living example to higher ideals. Whether this is possible in the modern world and the state of its current collapse is questionable, but it will nevertheless be only through metapolitical means that this could ever be achieved (Venner gives the example of India, which is definitely interesting).

There are many other ideas contained in this book, all given from a perspective of a man of action who sees history from within (contrary to intellectuals who thinks in abstractions), as an initiate - and all are equally rich in thought and given with a gift of elaboration that is certainly rare. I am really surprised that Venner's work is not more "famous" especially since his writing, in my opinion is in many aspects stronger than De Benoist's. I nevertheless wholeheartedly recommend this book - it is an easy read, comprehensive and coherent, and is an excellent introduction to ideas which hold the potential for a new "shock of history".

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10.

Wise, somber, and beautiful, these reflections of Venner show the spirit of a genuine European noble. I feel blessed that these interviews were translated to English and now have a strong desire to learn French so I can read more works of this great, erudite, and inspiring man.

[Alexandros Dolgov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will need to re-read this book at some point because there were many references I did not get; the ones I did get deserve a 5 out of 5 stars. It was my first book by Venner, maybe I should have gone with something else. Samurai of the West or something else.

[Anton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book, would never buy it though, online version is enough. It's a short book with scattered information. You will learn a thing or two.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a transcript for an interview than a book. Interesting although I feel his pro suicide stance is detrimental to what we need to accomplish.

[Tyler McArthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to Venner's thoughts, given in an interview style. Kind of light, moves quickly, definitely makes me want to go dive deep into his notable works. He wrote over 50 history books during his career.

Also helps explain the motivations behind his eventual suicide in Notre Dame.

[Pieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dominique Venner est un écrivain et historien français qui sympathise à la cause européenne. Il est dirigeant du magazine historique La Nouvelle Revue d'Histoire. Interrogé par Pauline Lecompte, il explique ses idées concernant l'Europe, ses comportements (culture, héroïsme, le coeur aventureux) et ses périls (islam, les Etats-Unis, la démographie). Beaucoup de sujets dont on parle: l'opposition conservatrice à Hitler, Homère, la politique, les années soixante,...