Danielle Collobert
Encyclopedia
Danielle Collobert was a French
author
, poet
and journalist
, born in Rostrenen
, Côtes-d'Armor
on 23 July 1940. She died, by her own hand, in Paris
on 23 July 1978.
Her mother, a teacher, was obliged to live in a neighbouring village, and thus, Danielle grew up at her grandparents' house, where her mother and her aunt would return whenever they so could. Both entered into the French Resistance
.
In 1961, having abandoned her university
studies, she worked at the Galerie Hautefeuille in Paris, where she wrote Totem and many other texts that would three years later be part of her seminary text, Meurtre. In the April of that year, she published, at her own expense, Chants des Guerres (War Songs) with Pierre-Jean Oswald publishers. Some years later, she would destroy the early editions of this, her first published book.
She engaged in the FLN
and was involved in missions in Algeria. After a self-imposed exile from May to August 1962 in Italy
, she returned to collaborate with the Algerian magazine, Révolution Africaine, until it stopped being published during the Presidency of Ahmed Ben Bella
. After rejection by Les Éditions de Minuit
, her cause was supported by Raymond Queneau
, which led to Gallimard publishing Meurtre, in 1964.
After joining the Writers' Union in May 1968, and soon after turning up in Czechoslovakia
during the Soviet
backlash to the Prague Spring
, she would travel near continuously from 1970 to 1976. Her travels would strongly influence her later writings. In 1978, she asked Uccio Esposito-Torrigiani to translate her last work, the ironically titled Survie (Survival), into Italian; reportedly, she wanted it published as quickly as possible. Survie came out at the end of April, and Danielle Collobert would die by suicide, on her birthday, three months later, in a hotel on the rue Dauphine in Paris
.
An experimental writer, Collobert wrote in a haunting, pessimistic, tense and stark style of 'prose poems.' Her work showed an obsession with death
as the destination of humankind, the ambiguity of gender
, travel
and madness
.
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...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, born in Rostrenen
Rostrenen
Rostrenen is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Breton language:The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on September 13, 2004....
, Côtes-d'Armor
Côtes-d'Armor
Côtes-d'Armor is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France.-History:Côtes-du-Nord was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Brittany. Its name was changed in 1990 to...
on 23 July 1940. She died, by her own hand, in Paris
Paris
Paris 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...
on 23 July 1978.
Her mother, a teacher, was obliged to live in a neighbouring village, and thus, Danielle grew up at her grandparents' house, where her mother and her aunt would return whenever they so could. Both entered into the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
.
In 1961, having abandoned her university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
studies, she worked at the Galerie Hautefeuille in Paris, where she wrote Totem and many other texts that would three years later be part of her seminary text, Meurtre. In the April of that year, she published, at her own expense, Chants des Guerres (War Songs) with Pierre-Jean Oswald publishers. Some years later, she would destroy the early editions of this, her first published book.
She engaged in the FLN
FLN
FLN may refer to:* One of a number of organisations named National Liberation Front* The National Liberation Front * The National Liberation Front * The National Liberation Front of Chad...
and was involved in missions in Algeria. After a self-imposed exile from May to August 1962 in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, she returned to collaborate with the Algerian magazine, Révolution Africaine, until it stopped being published during the Presidency of Ahmed Ben Bella
Ahmed Ben Bella
Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella was a soldier and Algerian revolutionary, who became the first President of Algeria.-Youth:...
. After rejection by Les Éditions de Minuit
Les Éditions de Minuit
Les Éditions de Minuit is a French publishing house which has its origins in the French Resistance of World War II and still publishes books today.-History:...
, her cause was supported by Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau was a French poet and novelist and the co-founder of Ouvroir de littérature potentielle .-Biography:Born in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Queneau was the only child of Auguste Queneau and Joséphine Mignot...
, which led to Gallimard publishing Meurtre, in 1964.
After joining the Writers' Union in May 1968, and soon after turning up in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
during the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
backlash to the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
, she would travel near continuously from 1970 to 1976. Her travels would strongly influence her later writings. In 1978, she asked Uccio Esposito-Torrigiani to translate her last work, the ironically titled Survie (Survival), into Italian; reportedly, she wanted it published as quickly as possible. Survie came out at the end of April, and Danielle Collobert would die by suicide, on her birthday, three months later, in a hotel on the rue Dauphine in Paris
Paris
Paris 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...
.
An experimental writer, Collobert wrote in a haunting, pessimistic, tense and stark style of 'prose poems.' Her work showed an obsession with death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
as the destination of humankind, the ambiguity of gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, travel
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
and madness
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
.