©Rafael Garcin via Unsplash
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Jul 31, 2026 11:05
The news has just broken: the City of Paris is set to rename Maurice-Barrès Square after Lucie Dreyfus, the wife of the unjustly convicted French captain. This is a radical decision, to say the least, which reignites the debate over the legacy of the writer and former nationalist lawmaker.
A leading figure in literature and patriotism in Belle Époque France, Maurice Barrès (1862–1923) was also, without a doubt, one of the most fierce “anti-Dreyfusards,” making openly anti-Semitic remarks.“That Dreyfus is capable of treason, I conclude from his race,” wrote the native of Lorraine in 1904.
In an op-ed published in Libération, the Socialist mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, and two elected officials from the capital emphasize that“even if Maurice Barrès’s thinking evolved over the course of his life, his words have left a terrible mark on our collective memory.”
In Lorraine, it’s a different story
This initiative contrasts with the attitude seen in Lorraine, the writer’s native region, where local elected officials prefer to highlight his literary legacy and his regional influence. Raphaël Michelet, mayor of Charmes (Barrès’s birthplace), stated in L’Est républicain that“here in Charmes, we prefer to remember him as a talented author,” adding that “we cannot pit one era against another or reason today without taking yesterday into account.”
While a few more critical voices are being heard—such as that of Samuel Hazard, the Socialist mayor of Verdun, who points out that“beyond his talent as a writer, we must above all not forget who he was: an anti-Semite”—other municipalities are opting for a more explanatory approach. This is particularly the case in Nancy, where Bora Yilmaz, the Communist deputy mayor in charge of remembrance, advocates for education through the installation of “explanatory plaques.”“We want to engage in public education and explain who these people were and why, from a historical perspective, they may be problematic,” he explains.
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