5 A Year in America 1956–1957
Every year, there are student exchanges between Harvard and the
École Normale Supérieure. Jean Prigent, the deputy director of the
École, took a liking to Jackie, mainly because he had taught him
to drive in the old car he had bought with Lucien Bianco. He duly
supported Derrida’s application for a bursary as a special auditor
at Harvard, offi cially in order to consult the microfi lms of Husserl’s
unpublished writings, though in fact these documents would not
arrive until later.
Contrary to what one might imagine, Jackie was at fi rst unenthused
by the prospect of setting off for America: he was terror-stricken at
the idea of leaving Paris and his friends. On the other hand, it was
the best way of obtaining an extra postponement of army service
and avoiding a job in secondary education, which he dreaded
almost as much. What worried Jackie most of all was Marguerite’s
situation. So that she could travel to the United States with him, a
work visa was absolutely necessary. And in any case, the Augustus
Cliff ord Tower Fellowship that Derrida was going to receive, to the
value of $2,200 for the year, would be quite inadequate for both of
them.
More pressingly, Derrida was downcast at being separated from
Marguerite during the short vacation period at his disposal. It was
mid-August before he reached El Biar. Bianco wondered what his
friend would fi nd in Algeria and whether the two of them would
long be able to continue ‘doing nothing to stop this absurd war’.^1
In every respect, Jackie’s stay in Algeria was not a success. This was
a result of the political situation, but also because his parents were
anxious about his imminent departure for the United States. As he
wrote to Michel Monory:
I’m spending whole days getting ready for this trip, writing
bureaucratic letters, fi lling forms, etc. etc. And I’m also stressed
because I don’t know if Marguerite [.. .] will be able to come
with me, at the same time as me. Ever since we have been...