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What cultural and political views did Paul de Man promote in his Le Soir book reviews?
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In his book-review column for the newspaper Le Soir during the German occupation of Belgium, Paul de Man expressed a strong cultural and political stance. His writings promoted Flemish and German literature while criticizing what he characterized as degenerate in French productions. Politically, he urged his readers to actively support Germany in the war rather than adopting a wait-and-see approach.1
It is important to note that these contributions were written under German censorship, as the newspaper had been seized by German authorities. In addition to his literary column, de Man also authored an anti-Semitic essay titled "The Jews in Present-Day Literature," which was published in the same newspaper in 1941.1