AFACEREA ELIADE» LA CNRS ÎN 1947. DISCURS AUTOBIOGRAFIC ŞI MǍRTURII ARHIVISTICE1

Abstract

Mircea Eliadeʼ s unsuccessful attempt to obtain a grant from the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) in 1947 is known only through his autobiographical writings. Two new archival collections make it possible to review the course of events: the private archives of Alphonse Dupront, former director of the French Institute in Romania, and the archives of the CNRS, kept at the Archives nationales de France, which have recently been opened for consultation to researchers who are interested in this period. If, for the most part, these archives confirm the reasons for the deep bitterness felt by Mircea Eliade at the time of his failure, they also offer a more detailed picture of the machinery that was set into motion in this context, and contribute to a better appreciation of the role of other people who gave him undeniable support, in particular Alphonse Dupront, who was unjustly forgotten by the memoirist.