At the height of the French Revolution's explosion in the 18th century, the Marquis de Sade had his favorite criminal character, Juliette, say: "The past encourages me, the present electrifies me, I fear little of the future." The 21st century hears a new, post-Romantic Juliette repeating every day: "The past depresses me, the present burdens me, I am afraid of the future."
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Philippe Sollers died in Paris on May 6, 2023, at the age of 86. The initial obituaries in Germany largely referred only to "Femmes," a book with which the author and literary theorist had found a more accessible form of writing in 1983. Books of the 21st century remain to be discovered: “Passion fixe” (2000), “Un amour américain” (Mille et une nuits, 2001), “L'Étoile des amants” (2002), “Une vie divine” (2005), “Un vrai roman : mémoires” (Plon, 2007), “Les Voyageurs du temps” (2009), “Trésor d'amour” (2011), “L'Éclaircie” (2012), “Médium” (2013), “L'École du mystère” (2015), “Mouvement” (2016), “Beauté” (2017), “Centre” (2018), “Le Nouveau” (2019), “Desir” (2020), “Légende” (2021), “Graal” (2022).
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