Cioran on Jews, Nationalism and the Inconvenience of Being Born Somewhere
While Cioran is often criticized for his anti-semitic juvenalia, his later writings often make reference to the positive dimensions of exile the ideal model of which are Jews. Throughout his writings Cioran identifies with Jewish exile and even attempts to model his existence accordingly via a self-imposed exile. The hope is to resist the risks of nationalist illusions and to remain vigilant of becoming rooted in a homeland.
Keywords: exile, Jews, homeland, nationalism, communism, anti-semitism.
1.[1] Emil Cioran, Œuvres, Paris, Gallimard: Quarto, p. 854.
2.[1] Ibid., p. 854.
3.[1] Ibid., p. 856.
4.[1] Emil Cioran, Cahiers 1957-1972, Paris, Gallimard, NRF, 1997, p. 110.
5.[1] Œuvres, p. 888.
6.[1] Cahiers, p. 55.
7.[1] Ibid., p. 32.
8.[1] Laignel-Lavastine’s book is perhaps one of the most widely read books on this question outside of Romania, although several reviewers have exposed tendentiousness and bad faith in the presentation of evidence.
9.[1] Voir son article « Ionesco et le français: langue maternelle ou choix culturel » IN Lingua Romana, vol. 3, n. 2, pas de pagination.
10.[1] Cahiers, p. 52.
11.[1] Œuvres, p. 859.
12.[1] Ibid., p. 850-51.
13.[1] Ibid., p. 853.
14.[1] Ibid., p. 867, 871.
