André Stil
Encyclopedia
André Stil was a French
novelist, short story writer, occasional poet, and political activist. A lifelong militant, he became a member of the French Communist Party
in 1940, and remained loyal to the party.
, Nord, a small town in the coal-mining region of northern France
, Stil was educated at the University of Lille
, earning a degree in philosophy
. He taught at the University from 1941 to 1944. Having joined the Communist Party
in 1940, he then held a series of increasingly senior editorial positions with communist newspapers. He was secretary-general of Liberté until 1949, then editor-in-chief of Ce Soir. He served as editor of the party's main newspaper, L'Humanité
, until 1956, continuing to contribute thereafter, and from 1950 to 1970 he was a member of the French Communist Party
's central committee.
Beginning in 1949, he published some fifty volumes, comprising mainly socialist realist novels, but also short stories and a volume of verse. Supported by Louis Aragon
, he won the Stalin Prize for his trilogy The First Clash (1951–1953). He won the Grand Prix du Roman Populaire, was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
, and in 1977 was elected one of the ten members of the Academie Goncourt
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
novelist, short story writer, occasional poet, and political activist. A lifelong militant, he became a member of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
in 1940, and remained loyal to the party.
Life
Born in HergniesHergnies
Hergnies is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
, Nord, a small town in the coal-mining region of northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Stil was educated at the University of Lille
University of Lille
The original university in the Lille region of France was the University of Douai established in 1559 in Douai and that was moved to Lille in 1887.University campuses in the Academy of Lille are members of the Université Lille Nord de France and European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de...
, earning a degree in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. He taught at the University from 1941 to 1944. Having joined the Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
in 1940, he then held a series of increasingly senior editorial positions with communist newspapers. He was secretary-general of Liberté until 1949, then editor-in-chief of Ce Soir. He served as editor of the party's main newspaper, L'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
, until 1956, continuing to contribute thereafter, and from 1950 to 1970 he was a member of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
's central committee.
Beginning in 1949, he published some fifty volumes, comprising mainly socialist realist novels, but also short stories and a volume of verse. Supported by Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon , was a French poet, novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.- Early life :...
, he won the Stalin Prize for his trilogy The First Clash (1951–1953). He won the Grand Prix du Roman Populaire, was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, and in 1977 was elected one of the ten members of the Academie Goncourt
Académie Goncourt
The Société littéraire des Goncourt , usually called the académie Goncourt , is a French literary organization based in Paris. It was founded by the French writer and publisher Edmond de Goncourt...
.
Works
His first novel, The Word `Coalminer', Comrade (1949) launched his enduring themes of working class life and militant communist politics. This was followed by a short story collection, The Seine has Taken to the Sea (1950) and his prize-winning trilogy The First Clash (1951–1953). This tells the story of the resistance of dock workers to the arrival of an American arms ship and contains detailed accounts of domestic working-class life. Anti-Americanism and the French-Algerian problem were important themes in his work through the 1950s. He returned to his coal-mining background repeatedly in his fiction; one of his last novels was Coal Dust on the Snow (1996). In addition to his prolific fiction, he wrote a critical work, Towards Socialist Realism, and an autobiography, A Life Spent Writing. He also wrote scripts for television.List of works
- Au mot amour
- Beau comme un homme
- Bélesta
- Conte du premier œuf
- De eerste stoot 3 dedlen
- Dieu est un enfant
- Fleurs par erreur
- Gazelle
- La neige fumée
- La question du bonneur est posée 1- le blé égyptien
- L'ami dans le miroir
- Le Médecin de charme
- L'autre monde, etc.
- L'Homme de cœur
- L'homme fleur
- Le foudroyage
- Le médecin de charme
- Le mot mineur camarades ...
- Le Mouvement de la terre
- Le roman de Constance
- Le premier choc - au château d'eau
- Les oiseaux migrateurs
- Les Quartiers d'été
- Malaguanyat
- Maxime et Anne
- Nous nous aimerons demain
- Paris avec nous le premier choc
- Pêche à la plume
- Pierwski starcie 2 volume
- Pignon sur ciel
- Quand Robespierre et Danton inventaient la France
- Qui ?
- Romansonge
- Soixante-quatre coquelicots
- Une histoire pour chaque matin
- Une vie à écrire