Edmond Fleg Archive

Edmond Flegenheimer better known as Edmond Fleg, (1874 –1963) was a Jewish French writer, thinker, novelist, essayist and playwright of the 20th century. Fleg's oeuvre was crucial in constructing a modern French Jewish identity, rendering him an instrumental figure in the Jewish awakening during the interwar years. Through his writings — based on Jewish and Christian texts — Fleg formed the foundation of a modern French Jewish spirituality and self-understanding, which allowed secular French Jews to preserve their Jewish identity. In doing so, Fleg was calling for an exploration of the living texts of traditional Judaism as the basis for a modern Jewish identity, establishing a new literary direction devoted to re-interpreting biblical texts and legends, and liturgies. The archive was permanently deposited in the National Library by Fleg's widow, Madeleine, in 1973. It was transferred from Paris after her death in 1976. The archive includes correspondence, drafts and manuscripts of Fleg's works. Read more