Bernat Manciet
Encyclopedia
Bernat Manciet (27 September 1923, Sabres
, Landes, France - 3 June 2005, Mont-de-Marsan
) was a major Occitan author.
where he lived at his uncles', who were priests. They taught him Latin
and Ancient Greek. He went on to sit his baccalauréat
in Bordeaux
on a Sunday of June, 1940. His education provided him with an incredible erudition that transpired from his every words. As World War II
broke out, Manciet started studying literature and political sciences.
This is how he became a diplomat
with Marie-Pierre Kœnig, who was a high commissioner in Germany
at a time when the defeated nation was trying to rebuild itself. He also took part in the Nuremberg trials
. In 1955, his diplomatic career led him to such places as Brazil
and Montevideo
in Uruguay
, where his acute geopolitical skills probably sprang from. Back in the Landes, he got wed, fathered five children and ran his step-family's company, only for it to go bankrupt after ten years.
Bernat Manciet managed Òc magazine but always refused to side with such Occitan activists as Robèrt Lafont
and Max Roqueta
, with whom he nonetheless was quite friendly.
ist, a literary review director, an artist... Bernat Manciet also came on stage to recite his poems and even took part in shows alongside Bernard Lubat in Uzeste.
In 1972 already, Renat Nelli
wrote about Manciet in a bilingual collection of poems called La Poésie occitane (published by Seghers):
Sabres
Sabres can refer to:* The plural of sabre* Sabres, Landes, a commune in the Landes department in France* Buffalo Sabres, a National Hockey League team* Somerset Sabres, the name used by Somerset County Cricket Club in one day competition...
, Landes, France - 3 June 2005, Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan is a commune and capital of the Landes department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Mont-de-Marsan airbase « Constantin Rozanoff » is a major installation of the French Air Force. The base includes CEAM , an air defense radar command reporting centre, and an air defence control...
) was a major Occitan author.
Biography
Manciet attended school first in his native Sabres and then spent three years in the lycée of TalenceTalence
Talence is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is adjacent to it on the south side...
where he lived at his uncles', who were priests. They taught him Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Ancient Greek. He went on to sit his baccalauréat
Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
on a Sunday of June, 1940. His education provided him with an incredible erudition that transpired from his every words. As World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, Manciet started studying literature and political sciences.
This is how he became a diplomat
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
with Marie-Pierre Kœnig, who was a high commissioner in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at a time when the defeated nation was trying to rebuild itself. He also took part in the Nuremberg trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
. In 1955, his diplomatic career led him to such places as Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, where his acute geopolitical skills probably sprang from. Back in the Landes, he got wed, fathered five children and ran his step-family's company, only for it to go bankrupt after ten years.
Bernat Manciet managed Òc magazine but always refused to side with such Occitan activists as Robèrt Lafont
Robèrt Lafont
Robèrt Lafont was an Occitan intellectual from Provence. He was a linguist, an author, an historian, an expert in literature and a political theoretician. His name in French reads Robert Lafont....
and Max Roqueta
Max Roqueta
Max Roqueta was one of the most famous contemporary Occitan writers. A physician, he was also an activist .-Prose:...
, with whom he nonetheless was quite friendly.
Literary career
A poet, a novelist, a playwright, an essayEssay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist, a literary review director, an artist... Bernat Manciet also came on stage to recite his poems and even took part in shows alongside Bernard Lubat in Uzeste.
In 1972 already, Renat Nelli
Renat Nelli
Renat Nelli , who was born in Carcassonne, Aude in 1896 and died in 1982, was one of the major Occitan authors of the 20th century.In Vichy France, Nelli joined the French Resistance and in 1945 was one of the co-founders of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans...
wrote about Manciet in a bilingual collection of poems called La Poésie occitane (published by Seghers):
- "One won't have long to wait before an overall study of Manciet's work is made. Maybe it will help understand better this giant of originality, whose unremitting literary renewal and lyrical intimate spring have no cause to be jealous of the latest ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian trends. With René CharRené CharRené Char was a 20th century French poet.-Biography:Char was born in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse department of France, the youngest of four children of Emile Char and Marie-Therese Rouget, where his father was mayor and managing director of the Vaucluse plasterworks...
and Salvatore QuasimodoSalvatore QuasimodoSalvatore Quasimodo was an Italian author and poet. In 1959 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic experience of life in our own times". Along with Giuseppe Ungaretti and Eugenio Montale, he is one of the foremost Italian poets...
, Bernat Manciet is undoubtedly one of the great and underrated poets of modern EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
."
External links
- On Poezibao (in French)