Rigadoon (34 page)

HUMA
. Nickname for the French Communist daily
L'Humanité
.

MAILLOTINS
. Paris insurgents, so-called from the lead mallets
(maillets)
they were armed with. Their rebellion in 1382 was provoked by the imposition of a sales tax.

GUISE
, Henri I of Lorraine, duke of Guise, known as Le Balafré (1550—1588). One of the instigators of the massacre of St. Bartholomew ( 1572 ). Head of the Holy League, or Catholic Party. Enjoyed great popularity in Paris, tried to seize the throne of France and besieged Henri III in the Louvre. Not long afterward the king had him assassinated in the Château of Blois.

PARTISANS OF CHAMBORD
. The legitimists. Henri de Bourbon, duke of Bordeaux and count of Chambord ( 1820-1883 ), was the last representative of the elder Bourbon line. On the death of Charles X ( 1836), he became legitimist pretender to the throne of France under the name of Henri V. After the fall of Napoleon III the restoration seemed imminent, but failed because of Chambord's extreme demands. 

ETIENNE MARCEL
. Provost of the Paris merchants. Prominent in the States-General, obtained an edict of reform in 1356 and led insurrection when the king annulled the edict. Murdered in 1358. 

JUANOVICI
. Joseph Joinovici or Joanovici, known as Monsieur Joseph. Rumanian Jew, came to France from Bessarabia in 1925. Founded his own scrap-metal firm. In 1939 Joinovici Frères was a thriving concern. After the French defeat, transferred nominal ownership of his business but remained effectively in charge and supplied metal to WIFO, a Berlin firm. Obtained forged records proving his Aryan origin. Operated on black market, purchasing metal for the Germans. Later confessed to having made 25 million francs under the Occupation. Member of the Bonny-Laffont police group, working for the Germans. At the same time he worked for the Resistance, helped Jews, hid American parachutists and worked for Honneur et Police, the Resistance group in the French police.

Well-known Resisters later testified in his favor. Responsible for the arrest of Bonny and Laffont after the Liberation. He, too, was arrested, but soon released. When the authorities decided to arrest him again, he fled to the American zone of Germany but gave himself up in 1947. Tried in 1949, condemned to five years in prison, a fine of 600,000 F and confiscation of his holdings to the amount of 50 million francs. Freed in 1951, placed under house arrest at Mende, whence he escaped to Israel.

After the French government opened proceedings against him for tax fraud in 1957, Israel refused him the status of immigrant and he was expelled in December 1958. Imprisoned in Marseille. Tried, acquitted of tax fraud but held on two other charges. In 1961, condemned to two prison terms of one year each for issuing bad checks. Released in 1962, he died in Clichy in 1965 at the age of 63.

BEN ACHILLE
. Probably Gaston Gallimard, born in 1881, director of the Gallimard publishing house. Founded in 1911 as the Editions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, it is one of the leading French publishing houses and has published much of the best modern French literature, including the later works of Céline. The "Ben" would be attributable to his supposed sympathy for the Algerian cause during the Algerian war.

PÉTIOT
. Dr. Petiot (1893-1946). Between 1942 and 1944 he murdered 27 persons, for the most part Jews, whom he lured to his premises by promising to smuggle them out of the occupied zone of France. He was tried, convicted and executed in 1946.

COMPACT REVIEW
. Presumably the
Nouvelle Revue Française
(N.R.F. ), a monthly magazine founded in 1909 by a group of writers including Andre Gide. Many of the leading writers of the century were first made known in its pages.

YOUR FERULE
, etc. Possibly the monthly bulletin of the N.R.F., containing the reviews of the books published during the preceding month and various literary information.

MARCEL
. Marcel Aymé, novelist and playwright (1902-1967). Author of
The Green Mare, Cleramband, Passe-Muraille
. He was a close friend of Céline.

COUR DE ROME
. One of the courtyards of Saint-Lazare station in the center of Paris. Céline is referring to the famous flood of 1910 when this area, though far from the Seine, was submerged.

RUE CADET
. The Grand Orient de France, largest of the three Masonic temples in France, has its temple on rue Cadet.

MAURICE DACHE
. Probably Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972), the famous French singer and movie actor.

HARHAS
. A character in
North
. An SS medical officer, a cynic with a resounding laugh, who seems to have been very helpful to Céline.

FRÉJUS
. Small town on the French Riviera. In 1959 the lower quarters were flooded and 400 people killed when a dam burst.

CHÂTELET
. Large Paris theater (3000 seats) on the place du Châtelet. Built in 1862, it is used chiefly for operettas and spectacular revues.

LE VIGAN
. Robert Coquillaud, screen name Robert Le Vigan. Outstanding motion-picture actor
(Pépé-le-Moko, Le Quai des Brumes, Goupi-Main rouges)
. A friend of Céline, he collaborated under the Occupation. Fled to Germany with Céline in 1944. Arrested in 1945, he was tried in 1946 and sentenced to ten years at forced labor. Released after three years, he went to Spain and later to the Argentine, where he died in 1972.

ZORNHOF
. The von Leiden estate, scene of the greater part of North.

KRETZERS
. Characters in
North
.

ACH, KEIN SUM!
 Apparently derived from Mach keinen Sums, "Don't make such a fuss."

HEINKEL
. No doubt refers to the Heinkel aircraft plant at Warnemünde.

KRACHT
. SS-man. A character in
North.

SIGMARINGEN
. The order of events in
Rigadoon
is rather different from that described in the preceding volumes and also from the actual course of events, which is roughly as follows: In July 1944, Céline, whose life had been threatened in France because of his collaboration with the Germans, crossed the German border, intending to go to Denmark. In Baden-Baden his papers were confiscated and for three months he waited in vain for permission to proceed to Denmark. Finally he asked leave to go to Switzerland or return to France. He spent two weeks in Berlin, trying to obtain a visa. After refusing to broadcast Nazi propaganda he was interned for three months at Kressling near Neuruppin in Prussia in a camp of "free thinkers." This would seem to be the setting of
North
. At this time he tried again to go to Denmark and reached Rostock-Wamemünde, but was unable to cross the border. At this point he decided to join the Vichy refugees in Sigmaringen, where he stayed until March, 1945. It was then, with Sigmaringen as its starting point, that the 21-day odyssey related in
Rigadoon
began.

FRIST-KORPS
. Probably Frei-Korps, a Danish collaborationist militia.

BOUGRAT
. Dr. Pierre Bougrat (1890—1961). Accused in 1925 of assassinating a bill collector, whose body was found in a closet in Bougrat's house. Condemned to forced labor for life. Six months after his arrival in Guiana, he escaped to Venezuela, where he practiced medicine until his death in 1961.

PINK PAGES
. The section of the
Petit Larousse Illustré
devoted to famous quotations was printed on pink paper.

SAINTE-CATHERINE
. November 25, holiday of young girls, especially of dressmakers and shop girls who have attained the age of twenty-five without finding a husband. Celebrated by masked balls at dressmaking establishments.

PACHON
. One of the standard French apparatuses for measuring blood pressure. Named after its inventor, Michel-Victor Pachon (1867-1938).

FAUSTUS
. Character in
North.

THE VON LEIDENS
. Characters in
North.

RESTIF
. An unidentified character in
Castle to Castle
, leader of the "Special Teams," a gang of professional murderers being trained for guerrilla activity after the predicted Allied victory. In the meantime they lived by looting and extortion.

MARION
. Paul Marion. Journalist, leading member of Doriot's P.P.F. since its founding in 1936. Resigned from P.P.F. after Munich. Became Secretary of Information in the Vichy government in 1942. After the Liberation, condemned to ten years at hard labor. Figures prominently in
Castle to Castle
.

THE ROSELLI SISTERS
. The Roselli brothers, Italian anti-fascist refugees, and the Russian economist Navachine were murdered in 1937. The murders were attributed to the extreme rightist Cagoule.

BARRACHIN
. Navachine, see above.

BOUT DE L'AN
. One of the chiefs of the collaborationist Milice during the German occupation. Minor character in
Castle to Castle
.

BRINON
. Fernand de Brinon. Journalist. In 1933 published the first interview with Hitler to appear in France. President of the Comité France-Allemagne. In December 1940, Laval appointed him delegate general of the French government in the occupied territories, with the title of "Ambassadeur de France." Set up a "Government Commission for the Interests of French Subjects in Germany," which was disavowed by Pétain and Laval. Was condemned to death and executed after the war. Figures prominently in
Castle to Castle
.

THREE FOUR HOURS
. Sigmaringen to Hanover is a trip which takes eight to ten hours in peacetime.

BIBELS
. Bibelforscher. A radically pacifist sect similar to Jehovah's Witnesses. Literally, "Bible studiers." A group of them figure prominently in
North
.

DESCAVES
. Lucien Descaves ( 1861-1949 ). Novelist of the naturalist school. Member of the Académie Goncourt ( 1900).

RUE BROTTIN
. Rue Sebastien-Bottin in the seventh arrondissement, on which the Gallimard publishing house has its office.

NIMIER
. Roger Nimier (1925-1962). Journalist and novelist. Literary adviser to the Gallimard publishing house. Member of a group of right-wing anarchists popularly known as "Les Hussards" after Nimier's novel,
Le Hussard bleu
( 1950 ).

CACHIN
. Marcel Cachin (1869-1958). Socialist deputy, then a leader of the French Communist Party. From 1918 editor-in-chief of the Communist daily
L'Humanité
. In 1935 became the first French Communist senator. Deputy for the Seine department from 1946 to the time of his death. Céline is referring to the posters that appeared in Paris toward the end of the German occupation, reproducing a letter from Cachin, in favor of collaboration.

HARENGON
. Louis Aragon, born in 1897. Poet and novelist. One of the founders of surrealism. Converted to Communism in the early thirties. Directed the Communist literary review
Les Lettres Françaises
from 1953 to 1973, when it ceased publication. Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.
Hareng
= herring.

VAILLANT
. Roger Vailland ( 1907-1965 ), French writer, author of
Drôle de Jeu
( 1945 ), la Loi ( 1957 ), etc. Member of the Communist party, active in the Resistance.

PALE FEET
.
"Pieds pâles."
Seems to be a play on
"pieds noirs"
(black feet), a nickname for the French settlers in Algeria. Since the "black feet" are noted for their reactionary politics, leftists by implication would be "pale feet."

PETZAREFF
. Pierre Lazareff (1907-1972). French journalist. Directed
Paris-Soir
from 1937 to 1940. During the war directed the French section of the War Information Office, first in New York, then in London. After the war until the time of his death directed
France-Soir
and other publications. The basis of this transformation of Lazareff's name is that
pet
= fart.

BRISSON
. Pierre Brisson ( 1896-1964 ) was director of the newspaper Le Figaro from 1934 to 1942 and from 1944 to the time of his death. The linking of his name with Vichy seems to be an allusion to the fact that
Le Figaro
was published in Lyons in the unoccupied zone of France from the time of the Armistice to the invasion of the unoccupied zone by the Germans.

GENNEVILLIERS
. Suburb of Paris, where vegetable gardens fertilized by sewage were laid out under the Second Empire.

BROUSBIR
. The red-light district of Casablanca.

RUE BOUTERU
. Rue Bouterie, a street in the Vieux Port, the old red-light district of Marseille. It was destroyed when the Germans blew up the Vieux Port in 1943.

MISS HEYLIETT
.
Miss Helyett
, a once famous operetta by Edmond Audran ( 1890 ).

RALLY TO MY WHITE CANES
. A parody of the words with which Henri IV concluded his harangue to his army before the battle of Ivry ( 1590). "Rally to my white plumes. You will always find them on the path of glory."

COGNAC PRIZE
. The Prix Cognacq, established by Ernest Cognacq ( 1839-1928 ) and his wife, founders of the Samaritaine department store in Paris. The prize was awarded to conspicuously large families.

GARGANNE
. Possibly Gardane, a village in Provence. The Cognacq Prize would seem to have been awarded to one of its families.

TEMPLE
.
Le prison du Temple
. Originally the tower of a fortified monastery established by the Templars. Louis XVI and his family were imprisoned there in 1792. It was torn down in 1811.