The Declared Enemy: Texts and Interviews

by Jean Genet, Albert Dichy (Editor), Jeff Fort (Translation)

This posthumous work brings together articles, interviews, statements, prefaces, manifestos, and speeches dating from 1964 to 1985 (just before Genet's death in 1986). These texts bear witness to the many political causes and groups with which Genet felt an affinity, including May ’68 and the treatment of immigrants in France, but especially the Black Panthers and the Palestinians. We follow him from the Chicago Democratic Convention (where he met William Burroughs and Alan Ginsberg) to Yale University, where he gave the famous May Day Speech in support of the Black Panthers, to Jordan and the Palestinian camps. Along the way, Genet finds allies (George Jackson, Angela Davis, Leyla Shahid, Tahar Ben Jelloun). And, of course, enemies. Between passionate enmity and passionate affinity, Genet speaks for a politics of protest, with an uncompromising outrage that, today, might seem on the verge of being forgotten. The texts are accompanied by detailed editorial notes.

Genres: Philosophy, History, France, Politics, Essays, Queer, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Jean Genet was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His work, much of it considered scandalous when it first appeared, is now placed among the classics of modern literature and has been translated and performed throughout the world.

Reviews

[João Roque · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eu não sou um grande adepto dos livros considerados como ensaios.
Acho que são úteis a pessoas que se interessam específicamente por certos assuntos, certas pessoas ou determinadas teorias.
Por outro lado, gosto da obra que já li de Jean Genet, um escritor francês, que escreveu quase toda a sua obra na prisão e sempre defendeu princípios nada consensuais com a normalidade do mundo real.
Esta sua obra "O Sorriso do anjo", é um conjunto de três entrevistas que ele concedeu, o que era algo pouco vulgar pois ele detestava falar dele e da sua maneira de ser.
A primeira entrevista foi para a revista "Playboy", em 1964 e dada auma jovem canadiana, Madeleine Gobeil.
Há depois uma entrevista a Hubert Fichte, para um diário alemão, em 1975.
E finalmente, já muito doente concedeu em 1985 uma entrevista a Nigel Williams, para um canal da BBC.
Algo repetitivas estas entrevistas serão decerto muito interessantes para quem queira saber algo mais do carácter de Genet, mas quanto a mim, não acrescenta nada à sua obra

[Syreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful political essays and interviews. Genet explores the central themes at the heart of the universal revolutionary struggle and the mosaic of revolutionary struggles across the world: distinction between violence and brutality; the beauty that suddenly blossoms on the revolutionary fighters' faces when they reach freedom. Also, his involvement with the Black Panthers; his acquaintance with the Palestinian feddayeen; with the Red Faction Army.

His image as a revolted man, that needs an imperfect world to revolt against, such as 1970s French politics or the exploitation of migrant workers in France. More generally, the theme of exploitation through the submission of deemed inferior people by means of colonisation and capitalism.

This collection of essays and interviews gives a rather complete portrait of a man who was not only a literary genius, mostly inspired by Dostoevsky and Proust, but who also gave up literature later on. The reason of this abandonment is his sudden and immediate realisation of the socio-political structures whose reality literature cannot portray accurately. "The Declared Enemy" renders with detail the different aspects of a man whose passion for revolutions elevated his position as a writer.

[Sakaguchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the few of my faverlit books in the world.I met Jean Genet at the age of 17yrs old,which is 28 yrs ago.At the begining ,I read thiefs Journal,,,,

[Gregory Kuchmek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of essays! Really gives you a clear picture of Genet among the Panthers.

[Fleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très puissant et plus que jamais d'actualité.

[Léo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacré genêt

[Sarah ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

vrmt j’adore genet mais c bcp trop dur quatre heures à chatila j’ai dû le lire en 5 fois tellement j’avais mal au ventre au secours mais banger +++ genet supremacie

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Souvent vulgaire pour choquer, il ne parvient pas à choquer mais reste vulgaire. Beaucoup des textes choisis pour ce recueil, en plus de n'avoir que peu de qualité littéraire, ne font pas preuve d'une grande conscience politique : Jean Genet semble plutôt s'enticher des révoltés que des causes qu'ils défendent.

Jean Genet est révolté par principe, et en cela, beaucoup de ses considérations politiciennes, historiques, sociétales, sonnent creuses... pourtant, lors des entretiens retranscrit dans ce livre, on le découvre humain, humble, sage... éveillé, sinon sur le monde, au moins sur lui-même.

L'expérience de ce livre est intéressante. Certains textes (je pense à "violence et brutalité") valent vraiment le coup d'être lus. Les développements sur les sens qu'il donne aux mots "violence" et "brutalité" sont utiles. Malheureusement, il n'y a pas grand chose d'autre à voir dans ce livre.

[María Galán · Rating 4 out of 5]

libro que recoge artículos, entrevistas, declaraciones, prefacios, manifiestos, discursos etc de la faceta más comprometida políticamente de Genet de 1964 a 1986. Gira por EEUU junto a los panteras negras brindándoles apoyo, viajes a campos de refugiados palestinos, denuncia sistemática contra el colonialismo, las condiciones laborales y de vida de los trabajadores migrantes en Francia etc etc etc

un maquinarias el Genet, todo hay que decirlo.