Le Figaro Marseille
“Words that have a noble sound always contain beautiful images
,” recounted Marcel Pagnol in 1957 in
La Gloire de mon père
.
The writer of Provençal origin was far from suspecting that this line would become one with reality a little less than 70 years after the publication of his book.
9,500 copies of this flagship work in the “Childhood Memories”
series
will be published and distributed at the end of the school year to Marseille students leaving primary school in order to formalize their transition to middle school.
The books, ordered from Éditions Grasset by the Marseille town hall, will include a short text signed by Benoît Payan.
A portrait of the mayor should also have appeared there at the request of the town hall, before the author's grandson objected.
“Imagine, you open the Glory of my father and come across a full-page portrait of Benoît Payan!!
[...] These people dare everything (sic)
,” criticized Nicolas Pagnol on X.
The prospect of seeing the mayor of Marseille on a page of his grandfather's work greatly displeased Nicolas Pagnol, who confirmed having accepted that a word signed by Benoît Payan could appear on a page specially printed by the editor at the beginning of the book.
Contacted, the manager of Marcel Pagnol's work denounced to Le
Figaro an
"inappropriate"
and
"incongruous"
request
.
“Benoît Payan is trying to buy back his virginity after his statements about my grandfather.
He wants to show that he loves Pagnol, but it’s a political act
,” he whispers.
“You don't put the face of a politician on a literary work, it's political exploitation.
I think these people don't realize the problem.
They are so full of themselves.
The only person who deserves to have their head on the book is its author,”
he says.
A new skirmish between Benoît Payan and Nicolas Pagnol
When asked, Benoît Payan's entourage said they were surprised by this controversy, the project having been validated a month ago with the agreement of the publisher.
“The mayor wanted to offer Marcel Pagnol's book to children as part of the ceremonies organized with National Education during which an end-of-school diploma is given to CM2 students
,” he explains to Le
Figaro
, explaining in particular that the mayor and his teams were
“happy”
to pass on Pagnol’s legacy, while denouncing a
“ridiculous” situation.
On
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_
_
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“For 3 years, the Marseille town hall has offered a Marcel Pagnol to CM2 with a message from the Mayor.
You have given your consent for a special edition.
Objective: pass on your heritage (sic)
,” said Pierre Huguet, deputy mayor in charge of Education.
“Imagine… you are the grandson of Marcel Pagnol and you refuse to publish this author’s book for 9,500 students in the city of Marseille for political reasons… One day, Marcel Pagnol will no longer belong to you (sic)”
, declared Marie Batoux, deputy mayor of Marseille for popular education.
This skirmish on social networks is just another episode in the saga between Benoît Payan and Nicolas Pagnol, the latter not having digested being ordered to leave the Château de la Buzine by the Marseille town hall in June last.
The municipality then decided not to renew the public service delegation entrusted to Nicolas Pagnol's association for the operation of the castle for cultural purposes.
In return, the latter announced
“cutting off all collaboration with the Marseille town hall”
, even filing a complaint against Benoît Payan and five of his deputies for
“defamation”
and
“insults”
after comments from the mayor explaining that the Château de la Buzine
“ did not belong to him
.