Claude Vigée
Encyclopedia
Claude Vigée is a French poet who writes in French
and Alsatian
. He describes himself as a "Jew and an Alsatian, thus doubly Alsatian and doubly Jewish".
, Bas-Rhin
. He is descended from an old family of Alsatian cloth merchants. He spent his youth in Bischwiller, then attended secondary school in Strasbourg
. Displaced from Alsace by the invasion of the Germans in 1940, he began to study medicine in Toulouse
before joining the Résistance
. In 1942, he published his first poems in the underground magazine "Poésie 42". He fled to the United States
in 1943, where he obtained his doctorate in Romance Languages and Literature
in 1947. He taught French Language and Literature at Ohio State University
, then at Wellesley College and then at Brandeis University
. Since 1950, he has regularly published his poetry in France. He lived in Israel
between 1960 and 2001, where he taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
until his retirement in 1983. On March 18, 2000, the "Claude Vigée" Cultural Center was opened in his home city of Bischwiller.
Vigée currently lives in Paris.
Among other subjects, Vigée's poetry discusses the suffering of the Jews, the Alsatians, the Alsatian Jews and the Jews in Alsace, but he also deals with the beauty and the transitoriness of the simple, rural heritage. The pursuit for peace and interpersonal accord is also a recurring motif.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Alsatian
Alsatian language
Alsatian is a Low Alemannic German dialect spoken in most of Alsace, a region in eastern France which has passed between French and German control many times.-Language family:...
. He describes himself as a "Jew and an Alsatian, thus doubly Alsatian and doubly Jewish".
Life
Vigée was born in BischwillerBischwiller
Bischwiller is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France just west of the Moder River.The city is located southeast of Haguenau, west-northwest from the German border and the Rhine River , and lies north-northeast of Strasbourg.-Notable people:* Henri Baumer, master...
, Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
. He is descended from an old family of Alsatian cloth merchants. He spent his youth in Bischwiller, then attended secondary school in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. Displaced from Alsace by the invasion of the Germans in 1940, he began to study medicine in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
before joining the Résistance
Resistance
- Physics :* Electrical resistance, a measure of the degree to which an object opposes an electric current through it* Friction, the force that opposes motion** Drag , fluid or gas forces opposing motion and flow...
. In 1942, he published his first poems in the underground magazine "Poésie 42". He fled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1943, where he obtained his doctorate in Romance Languages and Literature
Romance studies
Romance studies is an umbrella academic discipline that covers the study of the languages, literatures, and cultures of areas that speak a Romance language. Romance studies departments usually include the study of Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese...
in 1947. He taught French Language and Literature at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, then at Wellesley College and then at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. Since 1950, he has regularly published his poetry in France. He lived in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
between 1960 and 2001, where he taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
until his retirement in 1983. On March 18, 2000, the "Claude Vigée" Cultural Center was opened in his home city of Bischwiller.
Vigée currently lives in Paris.
Among other subjects, Vigée's poetry discusses the suffering of the Jews, the Alsatians, the Alsatian Jews and the Jews in Alsace, but he also deals with the beauty and the transitoriness of the simple, rural heritage. The pursuit for peace and interpersonal accord is also a recurring motif.
Awards
Vigée is the winner of numerous awards, including the Johann Peter Hebel Prize (1984), the Grand prix de Poésie de la Société des Gens de Lettres de France (1987), the Prix de la Fondation du Judaïsme français (1994), the Grand prix de Poésie de l'Académie française (1996), the Würth Prize for European Literature (2002) and the Elisabeth Langgässer Literature Prize (2003).Poetry
- La lutte avec l'ange (1939–1949) Publication 1950. Réédition L'Harmattan 2005 : Collection Poètes des cinq continents
- La corne du grand pardon (1954)
- L'été indien (1957)
- Le poème du retour (1962)
- Le passage du vivant
- Dans le creuset du vent,
- Danser vers l’abîme
- Dans le silence de l'Aleph, Albin Michel, 1992
- Les Puits d'eau vive, Albin Michel, 1993
- Treize inconnus de la Bible, 1996
- Être poète pour que les hommes vivent 2006.