André Lorulot

André Lorulot (born Georges André Roulot; 23 October 1885 – 1963) was a French individualist anarchist and freethinker, born in Paris, in the district of Gros-Caillou. Lorulot was known for his exploration of anticlerical ideas, including in his most famous book Why I am an Atheist, published in 1933 with a foreword by Han Ryner. Lorulot chaired the National Federation of Freethought and co-founded the newspapers L'Anarchie and La Calotte.

Life

At school, Lorulot was noted for his skills in history. He said he lost his faith in God at fifteen years of age. Lorulot was forced to leave school at the age of fourteen to work in a Parisian publisher.

He gradually became a free thinker, atheist, materialist, irreligious, democrat, socialist and engaged in social struggle. The first events in which he participated are organized by Free Thought.

Lorulot was influenced by books by Jean Jaurès (The Radical and The Little Republic) as well as the works of Jules Guesdes, Lafargue, and publications of the Belgian Workers' Party.

Lorulot died in 1963 in Herblay.

Anarchist thought

Passionate about reading and writing, Lorulot was editor of the journal L'Anarchie from 1909 to 1911. He founded L'Idée libre in 1911 and La Calotte in 1930, allowing him to escape censorship from major publications for his revolutionary ideas and his promotion of the rights of women.

His entry into politics coincided with the Dreyfus affair. Lorulot fought alongside "dreyfusard" free thinkers including Émile Zola, Georges Clemenceau, Jean Jaurès and Sébastien Faure, and Republicans, socialists, anarchists, and trade unionists.