The local \(\pi _ 1\) of the complement of a hypersurface with normal crossings in codimension 1 is abelian (Q801986)

O. Zariski, building-up on a theorem by Severi asserting that the moduli space of irreducible nodal curves with given degree and number of double points is irreducible, proved 1929 that the complement of a nodal curve C in \({\mathbb{P}}^ 2\) has an abelian fundamental group. However, Severi's proof was not correct. (J. Harris announced some weeks ago a new proof.) \textit{W. Fulton} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 111, 407-409 (1980; Zbl 0406.14008)] proved an algebraic version of ''Zariski's theorem'': the algebraic fundamental group is abelian. His proof relies on his connectivity theorems and therefore is completely algebraic. \textit{P. Deligne} ''translated'' topologically Fulton's argument and proved the ''full theorem of Zariski'' [cf. Sémin. Bourbaki, 32e année, Vol. 1979/80, Exposé 543, Lect. Notes Math. 842, 1-10 (1981; Zbl 0478.14008)]. - Applied to the vertex of the cone over a nodal curve, Fulton-Deligne's theorem says that the local fundamental group of the complement of the cone in \(({\mathbb{C}}^ 3,0)\) is abelian. The authors generalize this last statement to the non homogeneous case: let X be a hypersurface with normal crossings up to codimension 2 in a point P; then the local fundamental group at P of the complement of X in the ambient space is abelian. Their method is topological and strongly inspired by Deligne's argument. The higher singularities in codimension 2 appearing in the statement are without influence on the fundamental group by some Lefschetz-type theorems due to D. Cheniot, H. Hamm and Lê D. T. and P. Deligne. - Finally the authors consider a question raised by K. Saito on the relation between poles of the residues of holomorphic forms with logarithmic behavior along X and the shape of the singularities of X. Their result gives a partial answer, relating it to the fundamental group.