Bernard-Henri Lévy Through Others' Eyes: "Le Monde" Publishes Excerpts from His Memoirs

"Le Monde des livres" publishes large excerpts from Bernard-Henri Lévy's "Provisional Memoirs", a book composed of some fifty portraits through which the essayist and philosopher looks back at the figures who have marked his career.

Among the personalities evoked are the philosopher Gilles Deleuze, the Italian writer and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, as well as the former President of the French Republic François Hollande. This gallery of portraits offers a cross-sectional look, that of Bernard-Henri Lévy on these figures and, implicitly, a reflection of his own intellectual and public itinerary.

The book is due to be published on October 1. Its publication also marks the launch of a brand new publishing house, founded by Olivier Nora, a former figure in the world of French publishing.

A career punctuated by encounters

Bernard-Henri Lévy, a philosopher and essayist whose work and public commitment span several decades, has rubbed shoulders with a large number of intellectuals, writers and political leaders over the course of his career. "Provisional Memoirs" is presented as a way of telling this journey through the prism of these encounters rather than in a strictly autobiographical and chronological form.

The publication of excerpts by "Le Monde" before the official release of the book is part of a common editorial practice for highly anticipated works, allowing readers to discover a taste of the content before its publication in bookstores.