Simone Veil at the Pantheon
Today, the Institut français celebrates the life of Simone Veil with a special screening of "Simone Veil, une histoire française", on the occasion of her burial in the Pantheon (on 1 July).
Haunted by the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and the loss of her mother, father and brother, French politician Simone Veil showed in the course of her career a profound integrity that led her to champion the European reconciliation and French women’s rights. The documentary looks back over the major battles in her life, providing an opportunity for her to talk about the reasons for her political career and her beliefs.
To know more about this major figure of French politics, the Book office suggests reading Agnès Poirier's article in the Guardian, Farewell Simone Veil, conscience of France. You might want to have a look at Simone Veil's autobiography, which came out in December 2017 in a translation by Tamsin Black (Haus Publishing).
This is a riveting memoir by an extraordinary woman. With exemplary forthrightness, Simone Veil charts her trajectory from her pre-war childhood in a secular Jewish family in Nice, through the misery of her year in Auschwitz and into the cut and thrust of French and European politics… This document of a life is also a compact history of post-war France.’ - Lisa Appignanesi
In her long-awaited memoir, Simone Veil describes in vivid detail a time of happiness and innocence spent in Nice where she grew up. This happy time came to an abrupt end in 1944 when at the age of 17 her family was deported to the camps. Her mother, father and brother all died in captivity. With undeterred resolve, she studied law and political science and became Minister of Health in the government of Jacques Chirac where her hardest political fight was to introduce the law to legalise abortion. She was elected the fist President of the European Parliament and returned to French government as Minister for Social Affairs.
One of France’s most beloved political figures, Simone Veil was widely admired for her personal and political courage. A Life is a sincere and candid account of an extraordinary life and career, reflection her humanity and determination to improve social standards and maintain economical and political stability in Europe. Simone Veil died in June 2017 at the age of 89. President Macron announced after her death that Simone Veil would rest in the Panthéon, alongside Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Émile Zola, Voltaire and Rousseau.
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