Jean-Claude Michéa, a country philosopher

A leading essayist on the French intellectual scene, Jean-Claude Michéa now lives in a remote village in southwest France. A look back at his singular work and career.

Born in Paris in 1950, Jean-Claude Michéa was raised by Communist parents, both of whom were permanent members of the Party: his father was a sports journalist for the «red» press, his mother a stenotypist. Although he himself only belonged to the Party for a short time (he left in the early 70s, disgusted by Soviet totalitarianism), Michéa is quick to acknowledge his debt to the French communism of the time. On France Culture in 2019, he spoke of it as an «extraordinary counter-society», a world in its own right that structured his entire childhood at a time when the Party still represented a quarter of the electorate.

After studying at the Sorbonne, Michéa went on to become a pro