26 Facts About Robert Brasillach

Robert Brasillach was the editor of Je suis partout, a nationalist newspaper which advocated fascist movements and supported Jacques Doriot.

The execution remains a subject of some controversy, because Robert Brasillach was executed for "intellectual crimes", rather than military or political actions.

Robert Brasillach was born in Perpignan on 31 March 1909, the son of Lieutenant Arthemile Brasillach, who served in the colonial regiment of Marshall Lyautey in Morocco, and Marguerite Brasillach, nee Redo.

Robert Brasillach studied at the Ecole normale superieure, at the time a school of the University of Paris, and then became a novelist and literary critic for the Action francaise of Charles Maurras.

Robert Brasillach's politics are shared by several of the protagonists in his literary works, notably the two male main characters in The Seven Colours.

Robert Brasillach was fascinated by the cinema and in 1935 co-wrote a detailed critical history of that medium, Histoire du cinema, with his brother-in-law, Maurice Bardeche.

Unlike several other authors and critics of the time, Robert Brasillach did not see cinema through an overtly political lens, although the 1943 edition of his work did contain anti-Semitic comments not present in the original.

Robert Brasillach was drawn to originality and explored foreign cinema, and became the first major critic in France to address Japanese cinema, the work of Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi and Heinosuke Gosho.

Robert Brasillach became an editor of Je suis partout, a fascist paper founded by dissidents from the Action Francaise and led by Pierre Gaxotte.

Robert Brasillach was attracted to the fascistic Rexist movement in Belgium, and wrote an article and later a book about the leader of the movement, Leon Degrelle.

Robert Brasillach admired what he perceived to be Degrelle's youth and charisma and Degrelle's insistence on being neither left nor right, supporting striking workers, encouraging love of God, the King and family and desiring to see the establishment of an anti-communist and anti-capitalist, Christian-influenced corporate state.

Robert Brasillach was greatly impressed by Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera and his Falangist movement.

Robert Brasillach was freed in early 1941 and returned to his editorial role at Je suis partout.

Robert Brasillach wrote in favour of the Vichy regime but later embraced a more committed germanophile policy of collaboration and Nazi policies and began to criticize the Vichy state.

Robert Brasillach joined a group of French authors and artists in a trip to meet with German counterparts in Weimar and in November 1942 he supported the German militarisation of the unoccupied zone under the Vichy government because it "reunited France".

Robert Brasillach visited the site of the Katyn massacre, toured the Eastern Front, visited Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism and wrote, on his return to France, that he had gone from embracing a collaboration due to reason and rationality to being a collaborator for reasons of the heart.

Robert Brasillach published the names and addresses of Jews who had gone into hiding, called for the death of left-wing politicians, and in the summer of 1944 signed the call for the summary execution of all members of the French Resistance.

Robert Brasillach considered himself a "moderate" antisemite and was replaced as editor of Je suis partout in 1943 by the even more extreme Pierre-Antoine Cousteau.

Robert Brasillach was a member of the Groupe Collaboration, an initiative that encouraged close cultural ties between France and Germany.

Robert Brasillach worked for various journals, including Revolution nationale and le Petit Parisien.

Robert Brasillach spent the next five months in prison and continued his literary endeavours while incarcerated.

Resistance member and author Francois Mauriac, whom Robert Brasillach had savaged in the press, circulated a petition to Charles de Gaulle to commute the sentence.

De Gaulle did not comply and Robert Brasillach was executed by firing squad in Montrouge.

Robert Brasillach was buried in the cimetiere de Charonne in the 20th Arrondissement of Paris.

Robert Brasillach sought to protect his own legacy as his life drew to a close.

Robert Brasillach composed several works while awaiting trial and execution, including a collection of verse and a letter to French youth of the future, explaining and justifying his actions.