The controversial revisit of Beauty and the beast of the designer Jul will appear as planned in September

Le Conte Beauty and the beast Illustrated by Jul, who was to be distributed to 800,000 students at the end of CM2 but was found by the Ministry of Education, will however appear as planned in September, the publisher told AFP on Friday. The ministry, who had ordered the book to this author for the annual operation “A book for the holidays”judged it “Not suitable” to CM2.

The designer, Julien Berjeaut of his real name, denounced a “Political decision” for “Falky pretexts”. Questioned by AFP, the publisher, the edition branch of the Reunion of the National Museums-Grand Palais, said that he intended to publish the work “In September” as “Each year”. The draw, which was to be initially 900,000 copies, was not specified at this stage.

Within their school, students will receive in place the book already distributed in June 2023, Odyssey d’Homer, adapted by Murielle Szac and illustrated by Catel. Thursday, the Minister of National Education Elisabeth Borne estimated that the content was too adult for students aged 10 or 11. “I am not sure that it is necessarily understandable that the father of the beautiful is an Algerian gentleman, who is seen in scenes where he is completely drunk, he does counterfeit, is arrested by police officers”she said to the press.

“Perplexity”

A group of authors’ associations and defense of freedom of creation, the permanent council of writers, criticized the “Sudden reversal” of the ministry in a statement on Friday. “In an international context marked by the reduction of freedom of expression and the will to censor libraries and schools, the permanent council of writers (CPE) shows its perplexity and concern before this decision”he wrote.

The deputy LFI Rodrigo Arenas has described on X the decision of “Amazing” and “Submission to educational Trumpism”. A source within the ministry, quoted by Marianne magazine, however estimated that the representation of the father of the beautiful, who can be perceived as North African and is engaged in the import of counterfeits from Algeria, seemed to him very problematic. “We flirt with a form of racism, whatever the author thinks, or at least with shots”declares this source.