Moi les hommes, je les déteste (English: I Hate Men) is a feminist essay by the French writer Pauline Harmange, a feminist activist and misandrist[1] from Lille. It was published in 2020, initially by the micropublisher Monstrograph, and later by a major publishing company, Éditions du Seuil.

Contents

In the 96-page booklet, Harmange aims to "understand misandry and to give it back the right to exist." According to her, feminists have always needed to pretend not to hate men so as not to lose them as allies. But in her view, misandry is not only "perfectly justified, but also necessary". She advises women to reduce their relationships with men and toxic masculinity, in order to rediscover the benefits of the "sisterhood" among women.[2]

Publication history

In September 2020, Mediapart reported that Ralph Zurmély, a special adviser to the French ministry for gender equality, wrote to the publisher demanding a retraction of the essay, threatening criminal prosecution for "incitement to hatred on the grounds of gender". Monstrograph refused to do so, and the government disavowed Zurmély's demand as a "personal initiative".[3]

The French media response to the attempt at censorship was largely negative. NouvelObs called it an example of "cancel culture" and wrote that the state had not so far attempted to suppress the publication of misogynist texts.[4]

In an example of the Streisand effect,[5] the controversy led to skyrocketing demand for the book, which had initially been printed in only 400 copies. It was republished by a major publisher, Éditions du Seuil, in October 2020.[6]

In 2021, HarperCollins released an English translation of the work by Natasha Lehrer, titled I Hate Men.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Cappelle, Laura (10 January 2021). "With 'I Hate Men,' a French Feminist Touches a Nerve". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021. 'It was an insult you would get as a feminist,' she said. 'Whatever you say, as soon as you criticize men, you're accused of being a misandrist. That's when I realized: Actually, that's exactly it.'
  2. ↑ Harmange, Pauline. "Moi les hommes, je les déteste : mon livre en précommande" (in French). Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  3. ↑ Flood, Alison (8 September 2020). "French book I Hate Men sees sales boom after government adviser calls for ban". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Willsher, Kim (10 September 2020). "'We should have the right not to like men': the French writer at centre of literary storm". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  5. ↑ ""Moi, les hommes je les déteste" : un essai féministe bientôt censuré ?". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). 1 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Pauline Harmange : tous des phallos !". Libération (in French). 27 September 2020.
  7. ↑ Cappelle, Laura (10 January 2021). "With 'I Hate Men,' a French Feminist Touches a Nerve". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
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