The UNEQ Board of Directors wanted to transform a professional association that had been operating effectively for more than 45 years into a professional union for all scribes.
After having obtained from the government the status of “artist of literature”, the members, during various questionable consultations, finally questioned the union business plan. Faced with this refusal, the current CA resigned at the end of March.
What happened ? The UNEQ, founded in 1977 by literary writers, has been open over the years to authors of all genres and self-publishers. The Board wanted to meet the needs of all of its members. In doing so, he ignored the distinction proposed by Barthes between “writing” and “writer”, the latter, poet, novelist or essayist, projecting himself integrally into his work, with an original vision and a language of his own; while the writer uses writing as a simple communication tool.
If non-literary authors wish to negotiate collective conditions with publishers, literary writers, on the other hand, having only themselves as their boss, have no need of a union. The literary publishing contract, by definition, is a personal document, signed with a publisher chosen occasionally as a simple printer and distributor, but above all to help the author enrich his work.
Entering literature is not a right, but a choice. The literary writer is not “an artist of literature”, he does not have to submit to administrative, corporate or union rules. The true writer is not subject to forced labor and must remain free.
The new board of directors, which will be elected next May, must recognize that the trade union law is inadequate for writers, notify the Minister of Culture and allow the UNEQ, in its Maison des écrivains, to assume the role it had held since its foundation, that is to say, to pursue the various programs and to defend literature. The non-literary authors, for their part, could then, with the help of the members of the former board, set up the union to which they aspire, or perhaps join other entities.