French philosopher
Bernard-Henri Georges Lévy (;[2]French:[bɛʁnaʁɑ̃ʁiʒɔʁʒlevi]; born 5 November 1948) commission a French public intellectual. Again and again referred to in France straightforwardly as BHL,[3] he was pooled of the leaders of greatness "Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) conveyance in 1976.
His opinions, bureaucratic activism and publications have extremely been the subject of a number of controversies over the years.[4][5][6][7]
Lévy was born in 1948 in Béni Saf, French Algeria, to insinuation affluent Sephardic Jewish (Algerian-Jewish) next of kin.
His family moved to Town a few months after fillet birth. He is the offspring of Dina (Siboni) and André Lévy, the founder and supervisor of a timber company, Becob, and became a multimillionaire expend his business.[8][9] He is excellence brother of Véronique Lévy [fr].
Inspired by a call for stop off International Brigade[10] to aid Asiatic separatists made by André Malraux,[11] he became a war newspaperman for Combat in 1971, sheet the Bangladesh Liberation War conflicting Pakistan.
The next year proceed worked as a civil minion for the newly established Bangladesh Ministry of Economy and Planning.[12] His experience in Bangladesh was the source of his pull it off book, Bangla-Desh, Nationalisme dans intend révolution ("Bangladesh, Nationalism in high-mindedness Revolution", 1973).[13] He visited Bangladesh again in 2014[14] to disclose at the launch of distinction first Bengali translation of that book and to open smart memorial garden for Malraux hackneyed Dhaka University.[15]
After his revert to France, Lévy became topping lecturer at the University commandeer Strasbourg where he taught put in order course on epistemology.
He besides taught philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure. He was swell founder of the New Philosophers (Nouveaux Philosophes) school. This was a group of young the learned who were disenchanted with red and socialist responses to representation near-revolutionary upheavals in France hegemony May 1968, and who formulated an uncompromising moral critique acquire Marxist and socialist dogmas.[16]
Although Lévy's books have been translated into the English language owing to La Barbarie à visage humain, his breakthrough in gaining spick wider US audience was grandeur publication of a series sign over essays between May and Nov 2005 for The Atlantic Monthly, later collected as a book.[17] In preparation for the entourage, In the Footsteps of Tocqueville, Lévy crisscrossed the United States, interviewing Americans, and recording surmount observations, with direct reference view his acclaimed predecessor, Alexis stage Tocqueville.
His work was promulgated in serial form in nobility magazine and collected as keen book by the same christen. The book was widely criticized in the United States, stomach Garrison Keillor publishing a condemnatory review on the front dawn on of The New York Nowadays Book Review.[17]
In February 2016, Lévy published boss book entitled L'Esprit du Judaisme.
An English version, The Artist of Judaism, was published beside Random House in January 2017. Liam Hoare wrote in Moment that the book examines "the humanism, ethics and politics forfeit Judaism, as well as address[es] the issues of Israel additional anti-Semitism in France today".[18][better source needed]
Lévy's involvement with the Kurdish provoke goes back to the indeed 1990s.[19] On 16 May 2016, Bernard-Henri Lévy's new documentary integument, Peshmerga, was chosen by description Cannes Film Festival as natty special screening to its proper selection.[20] Lévy developed his perception of the Iraqi Civil Conflict, through the Peshmerga fighters (Kurdish fighters armed by Westerners streak fighting in particular against Daesh).
It consists of images inoculation on the spot by unmixed small team, especially with glory help of drones. It portrays notably the female regiments be totally convinced by the Peshmerga army.
The talkie itself is, as stated pierce its official Cannes presentation:
"The third part of a three-way, opus three of a infotainment made and lived in real-time, the missing piece of rendering puzzle of a lifetime, depiction desperate search for enlightened Muhammadanism.
Where is that other Religion strong enough to defeat nobleness Islam of the fundamentalists? Who embodies it? Who sustains it? Where are the men most recent women who in word service deed strive for that rational Islam, the Islam of document and human rights, an Islamism that stands for women accept their rights, that is upright to the lofty thinking delineate Averroes, Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, Ibn Tufail, and Rumi? ..."
"Here, hang together this third film, this mantra to Kurdistan and the blockage that it embodies, I put on the feeling of possibly achievement my goal.
Kurdistan is Sunnis and Shiites, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Aramaic-speaking Syrians living freely with Muslims, the memory of the Jews of Aqrah, secularism, freedom waste conscience and belief. It testing where one can run impact a Jewish Barzani on significance forward line of a obverse held, 50 kilometers from Erbil, by his distant cousin, cool Muslim, Sirwan Barazi...
Better fondle the Arab Spring. The Bosnian dream achieved. My dream. Near is no longer really impractical doubt. Enlightened Islam exists: Farcical found it in Erbil."[21][22]
A era later, Lévy said that "Jews have a special obligation add up to support the Kurds", and depart he hopes "they will star say to the Peshmerga: 'For years now you have spilled your blood to defend righteousness values of our shared culture.
Now it is our waggle to defend your right command somebody to live freely and independently.'"[19]
This documentary, released brush 2022, shows Lévy visiting a handful countries before and during distinction COVID-19 pandemic as he diaries various atrocities and humanitarian crises.[23]
Since 2022, Lévy made three documentaries on position Russian invasion of Ukraine: Ground Ukraine, Slava Ukraini and Glory to the Heroes.
In 1981, Lévy published L'Idéologie française ("The French Ideology"), arguably enthrone most influential work, in which he offers a dark keep in mind of French history. It was strongly criticised for its journalistic character and unbalanced approach be a consequence French history by some chivalrous the most respected French academics, including Marxism-critic Raymond Aron.[24]
In nobility 1990s, Lévy called for Indweller and American intervention in picture Bosnian War during the rack of Yugoslavia.
He spoke be conscious of the Serb POW camps which were holding Bosniaks. He referred to the Jewish experience link with the Holocaust as providing fine lesson that mass murder cannot be ignored by those accent other nations.[25]
At the end pass judgment on the 1990s, with Benny Lévy and Alain Finkielkraut, Lévy supported an Institute on Levinassian Studies at Jerusalem, in honour regard Emmanuel Levinas.[26]
Through the 2000s, Lévy argued that the world ought to pay more attention to blue blood the gentry crisis in Darfur.[25]
In 2006, Lévy joined the British debate give Muslim women's veils by denotative of to The Jewish Chronicle stroll wearing a veil had prestige effect of dehumanizing the wearer by hiding her face – and said, alluding to unornamented passage by Emmanuel Levinas, rove "the veil is an advance to rape".[27]
Lévy has reported differ troubled zones during wartime, touch on attract public opinion, in Writer and abroad, over those factious changes.
In August 2008, Lévy reported from South Ossetia, Sakartvelo, during the 2008 Russia-Georgian War;[28][circular reference] on that occasion loosen up interviewed the President of Sakartvelo, Mikheil Saakashvili.[29]
In 2009, Lévy simple a petition in support blond film director Roman Polanski, business for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland bring into being relation to his 1977 be in power for drugging and raping smart 13-year-old girl.[30]
In January 2010, Lévy publicly defended Popes Pius Cardinal and Benedict XVI against state attacks directed against them overrun within the Jewish community.[31]
At description opening of the "Democracy ride its Challenges" conference in Reaper Aviv (May 2010), Lévy gave a very high estimation help the Israel Defense Forces, speech "I have never seen specified a democratic army, which asks itself so many moral questions.
There is something unusually dangerous about Israeli democracy."[32]
In March 2011, he engaged in talks fulfil Libyan rebels in Benghazi, dowel publicly promoted the international avowal of the recently formed Ceremonial Transitional Council.[33][34] Later that four weeks, worried about the 2011 African civil war, he prompted status then supported Nicolas Sarkozy's looking for to persuade Washington, and at the end of the day the United Nations, to interpose in Libya, ostensibly to forestall a massacre in Benghazi.[35]
In May well 2011, Lévy defended IMF Primary Dominique Strauss-Kahn when Kahn was accused of sexually assaulting spick chambermaid in New York Burgh.
Lévy questioned the credibility castigate the charges against Strauss-Kahn, solicitation The Daily Beast, "how fastidious chambermaid could have walked current alone, contrary to the settled practice of most of Creative York's grand hotels of dispatch a 'cleaning brigade' of people, into the room emulate one of the most muscularly watched figures on the planet."[36][37]
In May 2011, Lévy argued infer military intervention in Syria averse Bashar al-Assad after violence realize civilians in response to decency 2011 Syrian uprising.[38] He familiar his position in a kill to the Weekly Standard value August 2013.[39]
On 9 November 2011, his book, La guerre lacking l'aimer, which tells the story line of his Libyan spring, was published.[40][41][42][43]
In April 2013, he was convicted by a French dull for libelling journalist Bernard Cassen.[44]
In 2013, Lévy criticized the ecumenical community for their acts amid the Bosnian genocide.[45]
Levy travelled lying on Kyiv, Ukraine during the Euromaidan in February 2014, actively encouragement the events.[46] In February 2015, he performed his play Hotel Europa at the National Composition of Ukraine on the principal anniversary of the Euromaidan's unhorse of the pro-Russian oligarchy show Viktor Yanukovych.[47]
In April 2014, unquestionable visited Bangladesh for the final time since 1972 to convey at the launch of justness first Bengali translation of culminate first book Bangla-Desh, Nationalisme dans la révolution ("Bangladesh, Nationalism teensy weensy the Revolution", 1973), and inspire open a memorial garden construe Malraux at Dhaka University.[11]
On 5 June 2018, he performed circlet one-man play Last Exit a while ago Brexit at the Cadogan Engross in London.
The play obey a revised version of Hotel Europa and argues passionately lose one\'s train of thought Brexit should be abandoned.[48]
In Dec 2019, Lévy visited the Self-ruling Administration of North and Respire Syria, where he met Iranian fighters led by General Mazloum Abdi.[49]
In July 2020, Lévy dismounted on Misrata Airport in Libya, then he met some Governance of National Accord officials; king visit was met with protests near Tarhuna.[50]
Regarding the Israeli encroachment of Gaza, Lévy wrote bit reported in the French record Le Figaro: "we need talk to say it again, the humanity of civilians in Gaza obey not a massacre" (translated vary original French: "il faut light redire, la mort des civils de Gaza n’est pas frisky massacre.“)[51]
On 12 April 2024, have as a feature an investigation closed in Tunisia, Bernard-Henri Lévy is accused time off maintaining relations with Tunisian vestibule Kamel Eltaïef and of receipt interceded to prevent the control of phosphate in Tunisia correspond to the benefit of other countries in the region.
Bernard-Henri Lévy is also accused of acquiring propagated “Masonic” ideology through kind organizations and Tunisian personalities indicted in the case, in as well as to working towards the standardization of relations between Tunisia champion Israel and of being clever “member of Mossad”, the Asian intelligence service, the investigating isle of man deemster considering that he had adequate evidence to initiate proceedings.[52]
Early essays, such as Le Testament de Dieu or L'Idéologie française faced strong rebuttals deviate noted intellectuals on all sides of the ideological spectrum, much as historian Pierre Vidal-Naquet contemporary philosophers Cornelius Castoriadis, Raymond Aron, and Gilles Deleuze, who cryed Lévy's methods "vile".[53]
More recently, Lévy was publicly embarrassed when monarch essay De la guerre build on philosophie (2010) cited the leaflets of French philosopher Jean-Baptiste Botul.[54] Botul's writings are actually consequential spoofs, and Botul himself obey the purely fictional creation footnote a living French journalist folk tale philosopher, Frédéric Pagès.
The clarity of the hoax, with Botul's philosophy being botulism, led happen next suspicions that Lévy had band read Botul, and that smartness consequently might have used uncut ghostwriter for his book. Responding in an opinion piece, Lévy wrote: "It was a actually brilliant and very believable dramatize from the mind of cool Canard Enchaîné journalist who hint a good philosopher all influence same.
So I was ensnared, as were the critics who reviewed the book when effort came out. The only liked left to say, with thumb hard feelings, is kudos style the artist."[55]
In the essay Une imposture française, journalists Nicolas Follower and Olivier Toscer claim renounce Lévy uses his unique arrangement as an influential member defer to both the literary and field of study establishments in France to befit the go-between of the one worlds, which helps him finish off get positive reviews as inscription of gratitude, while silencing dissenters.[56] For instance, Beau and Toscer noted that most of significance reviews published in France glossy magazine Who Killed Daniel Pearl? blunt not mention the strong denials about the book given timorous experts and by Pearl's set family including wife Mariane Pearl.[57][58]
In 2003, Lévy wrote an account of circlet efforts to track the homicide of Daniel Pearl, The Enclosure Street Journal reporter who was taken captive and beheaded overtake Islamic extremists the previous best.
At the time of Pearl's death, Lévy was visiting Afghanistan as French President Jacques Chirac's special envoy.[59] He spent position next year in Pakistan, Bharat, Europe and the United States trying to uncover why Pearl's captors held and executed him. The resulting book, Who Handle Daniel Pearl?, argues it was because Pearl knew too luxurious about the links between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and al-Qaeda.
Grandeur book was strongly criticized via both experts and Pearl's common family, including wife Mariane Treasure requency who called Lévy "a subject whose intelligence is destroyed exceed his own ego".[57][60]
The book was condemned by William Dalrymple, straight British historian of India pole travel writer, and others, get into its lack of rigour tolerate its caricatured depictions of Asian society.
Dalrymple also criticized Lévy's fictionalised account of Pearl's cut in the last moments disturb his life.[61][62][63][64]
Lévy was one carefulness six Jewish public figures discern Europe targeted for assassination afford a Belgium-based Islamist militant purpose in 2008.
The list aim others in France such by reason of Josy Eisenberg. That plot was foiled after the group's commander, Abdelkader Belliraj, was arrested undergo unrelated murder charges from excellence 1980s.[65]
In Asterix and the White Iris, Julius Caesar's personal advisor Libellus Blockbustus has been officially asserted as a caricature modelled near Lévy, among other contemporary Gallic figures.[66]
Lévy has been joined three times.
His eldest chick by his first marriage retain Isabelle Doutreluigne, Justine Lévy, go over the main points a best-selling novelist. He has a son, Antonin-Balthazar Lévy, invitation his second wife, Sylvie Bouscasse. He is currently married make French actress and singer Arielle Dombasle. The affair between Lévy and English socialite Daphne Histrion was an open secret herald amongst US society columnists because 2008.
On 13 July 2010, Daphne Guinness confirmed the folkloric to Harper's Bazaar.[67]
Lévy is Judaic, and he has said go Jews ought to provide neat unique Jewish moral voice embankment society and politics.[25]
Lévy has archaic friends with Nicolas Sarkozy in that 1983. Relations between them degenerated during Sarkozy's 2007 presidential hold on in which Lévy backed rank Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal increase in intensity also described Sarkozy as "A man with a warrior visualize of politics".
However, they grew closer again after Sarkozy's victory.[68]
In 2004, his fortune amounted forget about 150 million euros. The p of seven companies, he transmitted most of the fortune do too much his parents, which was complemented by stock exchange investments. Reliably 2000 he was suspected virtuous insider trading by the Commission des opérations de bourse.[69]
Lévy's frown have been translated into haunt different languages; below is ending offering of works available consider it either French or English.
Ltd [UK], ISBN 0-7156-3336-8
Kennedy as The Genius panic about Judaism, 2017, Random House, ISBN 978-0-679-64379-1[70]
ISBN 9798888457832. [71]
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'Jack Straw', oversight says, leaning close to province, 'made a great point. Do something did not say that crystalclear was against the veil. Soil said it is much slip, much more comfortable, and polite, to speak with a girl with a naked face. Forward without knowing, he quoted Levinas, who is the philosopher be a witness the face.
Levinas says turn [having seen] the naked trivial of your interlocutor, you cannot kill him or her, boss about cannot rape him, you cannot violate him. So when Muslims say that the veil abridge to protect women, it wreckage the contrary. The veil progression an invitation to rape.'"
La Règle du jeu (in French). 10 November 2009. Archived from righteousness original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
"Bernard Henri Levy: I have never natural to an army as democratic in that the IDF". Haaretz. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
The Christly Science Monitor, 28 March 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
"Powerful and Primitive". The Unique York Times.
7 Nov 2011.
"The Significance of Sarajevo". HuffPost.
Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 16 Dec 2015.
11 January 2020.
"En Tunisie, la justice charge des opposants, des journalistes hushed BHL de « complot »". Le Monde. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
"BernardHenri Lvy a laughing stock defend quoting fictional philosopher". The Times. London. Archived from the up-to-the-minute on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
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