Adolphe Le Goaziou
Encyclopedia
Adolphe Yves Marie Le Goaziou (April 16, 1887 - September 18, 1953) was a bookseller, publisher and member of the French Resistance
in wartime Brittany
.
, Finistère
, Le Goaziou studied at the high school in Saint-Pol-de-Léon
, pursuing university studies at the Sorbonne
where he took a degree in philosophy. Le Goaziou became a member of Le Sillon
("The Path"), a leftist Catholic movement created by Marc Sangnier
. Returning to Brittany in 1910, he participated in the creation of an agricultural cooperative in Saint-Pol-de-Leon which brought together potato farmers. At the beginning of World War I, he joined the French army. He was wounded in battle in 1916.
He moved to Quimper in 1919 where he opened a bookstore and began to work as a publisher, specialising in literature on regional issues. Though a supporter of regional culture, Le Goaziou opposed the Breton autonomist and nationalist movements of the time.
. He also opposed the foundation of the Breton Celtic Institute, which was created under the patronage of the Germans in 1941 at the instigation of German Celticist Leo Weisgerber
.
Le Goaziou became president of the Union of Religious Bookstores and the Booksellers' Union of France.
Involved in the Resistance, he was denounced and arrested by the Gestapo in October 1943, but released in April 1944 for lack of evidence. A report by two police inspectors dated December 5, 1943 indicate connections with François Jaffrenou, who allegedly accused Le Goaziou and a colleague of being "the leaders of the [Resistance] movement in Brittany" and "friends" of England.
In April 1944, after the Liberation of France, Le Goaziou was appointed chairman of the Departmental Committee of liberation, for the Finistère
region. He took part in the creation of Ouest-France
, which followed the closure of Ouest-Éclair, banned by Liberation forces for collaborationism. He also created a monthly magazine, Nouvelle Revue de Bretagne which appeared from 1947 to 1953.
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in wartime Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
Early life
Born in MorlaixMorlaix
Morlaix is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Leisure and tourism:...
, Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
, Le Goaziou studied at the high school in Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Saint-Pol-de-Léon is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretange in northwestern France, located on the coast.It is famous for its 13th-century cathedral on the site of the original founded by Saint Paul Aurelian in the 6th century. It has kept a unique architecture, such as Notre-Dame du...
, pursuing university studies at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
where he took a degree in philosophy. Le Goaziou became a member of Le Sillon
Le Sillon
Le Sillon was a French political and religious movement founded by Marc Sangnier which existed from 1894 to 1910...
("The Path"), a leftist Catholic movement created by Marc Sangnier
Marc Sangnier
Marc Sangnier was a French Roman Catholic thinker and politician, who in 1894 founded le Sillon , a liberal Catholic movement. He aimed to bring Catholicism into a greater conformity with French Republican ideals and to provide an alternative to anticlerical labour movements...
. Returning to Brittany in 1910, he participated in the creation of an agricultural cooperative in Saint-Pol-de-Leon which brought together potato farmers. At the beginning of World War I, he joined the French army. He was wounded in battle in 1916.
He moved to Quimper in 1919 where he opened a bookstore and began to work as a publisher, specialising in literature on regional issues. Though a supporter of regional culture, Le Goaziou opposed the Breton autonomist and nationalist movements of the time.
World War II
After the Fall of France in 1940, he protested against the nationalist and collaborationist weekly L'Heure BretonneL'Heure Bretonne
L'Heure Bretonne was a Breton nationalist weekly newspaper which was published from June 1940 to June 1944. It was the organ of the Breton National Party and was strongly associated with collaborationist politics during World War II....
. He also opposed the foundation of the Breton Celtic Institute, which was created under the patronage of the Germans in 1941 at the instigation of German Celticist Leo Weisgerber
Leo Weisgerber
Leo Weisgerber was a Lorraine-born German linguist specializing in Celtic linguistics. He developed the "organicist" theory that different languages produce different experiences...
.
Le Goaziou became president of the Union of Religious Bookstores and the Booksellers' Union of France.
Involved in the Resistance, he was denounced and arrested by the Gestapo in October 1943, but released in April 1944 for lack of evidence. A report by two police inspectors dated December 5, 1943 indicate connections with François Jaffrenou, who allegedly accused Le Goaziou and a colleague of being "the leaders of the [Resistance] movement in Brittany" and "friends" of England.
In April 1944, after the Liberation of France, Le Goaziou was appointed chairman of the Departmental Committee of liberation, for the Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
region. He took part in the creation of Ouest-France
Ouest-France
Ouest-France is a provincial daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on local news and events. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départments within the régions of Brittany, Lower Normandy and Pays de la Loire...
, which followed the closure of Ouest-Éclair, banned by Liberation forces for collaborationism. He also created a monthly magazine, Nouvelle Revue de Bretagne which appeared from 1947 to 1953.
Notable publications
- A. Saint-Gal de Pons, , 1931
- Joseph Le Jollec, Un Siècle de vie cachée et de labeur fécond en Breiz-Izel (Preface by Monseigneur Duparc. Illustrations by Marc Choisnard), 1939
- Louis Ogès, L'Agriculture dans le Finistère au milieu du XIXe siècle, 1949
- Armand Rébillon, Manuel d'histoire de Bretagne