El paraguas de Simon Leys

For years, the Maoist utopia aroused great sympathy among a broad sector of the European left, especially in France, until, in the 1970s, a solitary voice, that of Simon Leys (1935-2014), a brilliant sinologist and witness to the atrocious reality of the Cultural Revolution, denounced loudly and clearly the totalitarian and murderous nature of Mao's regime. Initially received with antipathy and suspicion, his essays on China became seminal works for their lucidity and the elegant satirical tone with which they portrayed a reality that many preferred to ignore. From then on, free from all jargon and ideology, and endowed with a luminous style, Leys practiced literary and cultural criticism and enlightened his readers on topics as diverse as shipwreck narratives, the fascination with the sea, the act of translating, commitment and intellectual autonomy, and education and teaching. Reading this great expert on Chinese and Western cultures, who so wisely brought them into dialogue, remains a unique umbrella with which to protect oneself from inclement weather such as the lies of ideology, solemnity, and ignorance.