Biographie-Memoires, by Célestin Lainé (Neven Henaff)
Translated from the French by Daniel Leach with Guillaume Legros
Annotated and with an Introduction by Daniel Leach
Daniel Leach, University of Melbourne
Guillaume Legros, B.A. (McGill), M.A. (Carleton)
Abstract
This publication makes available to both French- and English-speaking scholars the autobiographical Biographie-Memoires of Breton nationalist and postwar exile in Ireland Célestin Lainé (aka Neven Henaff), leader of the nationalist group Gwenn-ha-Du and later of the Bezen Perrot from 1943 to 1945. The 65-page memoirs are presented scanned from the original French manuscript, as well as in English translation complete with annotations and a 10-page introduction. They detail Lainé's embrace of Breton nationalist militancy, commencing with his earliest childhood recollections and terminating in the year 1931 following the establishment of Gwenn-ha-Du. Although incomplete and by many measures imperfect, they form a valuable addition to primary sources concerning the history of Celtic nationalism in general, and of Breton militancy in particular.
Keywords
Célestin Lainé Neven Henaff; Breton nationalism; Brittany; collaboration; Gwenn-ha-Du; Bezen Perrot; Celtic nationalism; France; Germany
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Table of Contents
| "When I was ready, then I would declare war": The Biographie-Memoires of Célestin Lainé (aka Neven Henaff). Introduction by Daniel Leach. |
| Endnotes |
| Biographie-Memoires |
| 1. "Catholique et Français toujours..." (Well-known hymn) |
| 2. You are Breton! |
| 3. Brittany is big! |
| 4. The Final War. |
| 5. Brittany should be independent. |
| 6. Breton, and not French! |
| 7. Vigil. |
| 8. The first toll of the bell. |
| 9. The second toll. |
| 10. The third toll. |
| 11. Breiz Atao! |
| 12. First step. |
| 13. The war of independence. |
| 14. Solitude at Rennes |
| 15. First Congress. |
| 16. The Student Federation of Rennes. |
| 17. The summer of 1928. |
| 18. The Sorbonne. |
| 19. L'école Centrale. |
| Endnotes |
| Appendix A: Scanned Manuscript |
| Appendix B: Poem "The Universe" |
| Appendix C: Image Gallery |
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e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies Volume 4: 39-180 Nationalism
Center for Celtic Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
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Date Published: May 9, 2012