Marcel Pagnol’s grandson could be dispossessed of “my mother’s castle”

There will soon be no more Pagnol at the Château de la Buzine, a place of childhood memories of the writer made famous in his autobiographical novel My Mother’s Castle. The decision to withdraw the management of this building from the descendant of Marcel Pagnol is controversial.

The outraged opposition

Nicolas Pagnol learned the news by telephone. The governance of the Château de la Buzine must be entrusted to the CCO association (Center of working culture). Since then, he has not taken off. “I do not understand the choice of the college of elected officials who opted for this association when it specializes in the management of social centers and not cultural equipment” he reports dumbfounded.

This decision follows a call for applications as part of the renewal of the castle’s public service delegation. The news immediately made the opposition react. For some, it is an attack on Provençal culture. On Twitter, Renaud Muselier, president RE (Renaissance) of the PACA region says to himself “scandalized like so many Marseillais by the treatment reserved for Nicolas Pagnol”. “An incomprehensible, illegible choice” he adds.

“To make this choice is to take Pagnol out of my mother’s castle. This is unacceptable” also tweets Valérie Boyer, senator Les Républicains des Bouches-du-Rhône.

A less expensive project

Faced with fears of loss of cultural identity of this symbol of Provençal culture, the town hall of Marseille, the majority of which comes from a coalition of left-wing political parties, denies having chosen the best candidate. “The Workers’ Cultural Center is well placed since it works with associated artists. In cinema, it has extensive experience in this area. So the idea is to mesh all the cinema projects that there are on Marseilles” reports Jean-Marc Coppola, deputy mayor in charge of culture.

The CCO association responds to the specifications (ensuring a diversified cultural program) with “a project that requires much less resources from the city than what the other project offers” adds the chosen one. 700,000 euros less than that of Nicolas Pagnol, according to the municipality. Still, the programming of the association of the grandson of Pagnol has won, in recent years, a great success allowing a financial balance. On social networks, Nicolas Pagnol has launched a petition for “Pagnol stays at my mother’s castle”.

The city council should validate the change of governance on June 30.