Jean d'Ormesson
Encyclopedia
Count Jean Lefèvre d'Ormesson (born June 16, 1925 in Paris
) is a French
novelist whose work mostly consists of partially or totally autobiographic
novels.
and grew up in Bavaria
. His father was André Lefèvre, Marquis of Ormesson, French ambassador to Brazil. Wladimir d'Ormesson
(1888-1973), ambassador to the Vatican, was his uncle.
He was admitted to the École normale supérieure
and passed the philosophy agrégation
. He later became Secretary-General of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies
at UNESCO
and the director of the French newspaper Le Figaro
from 1974 to 1979.
On October 18, 1973, he was elected a member of the Académie française
, taking seat 12, following the death of Jules Romains
. On the death of Claude Lévi-Strauss
on 30 October 2009, he became the Dean of the Académie, its longest-serving member. He is also a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. In 2010, he was awarded the Ovid Prize
, Romania, in recognition of his body of work and he is Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross
of Brazil.
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...
) is a French
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 whose work mostly consists of partially or totally autobiographic
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
novels.
Life
Jean d'Ormesson was born in ParisParis
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...
and grew up in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. His father was André Lefèvre, Marquis of Ormesson, French ambassador to Brazil. Wladimir d'Ormesson
Wladimir d'Ormesson
Wladimir d'Ormesson was a French essayist, novelist, journalist and diplomat.He was successively ambassador in Vatican city, Buenos Aires and Santiago, and wrote many essays and some novels...
(1888-1973), ambassador to the Vatican, was his uncle.
He was admitted to the École normale supérieure
École normale supérieure
An école normale supérieure or ENS is a type of publicly funded higher education in France. A portion of the student body who are French civil servants are called Normaliens....
and passed the philosophy agrégation
Agrégation
In France, the agrégation is a civil service competitive examination for some positions in the public education system. The laureates are known as agrégés...
. He later became Secretary-General of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies
International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies
The International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies is a non-governmental organization within UNESCO, which is a supraorganization of hundreds of learned societies in the field of philosophy, human sciences and related subjects....
at UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and the director of the French newspaper Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
from 1974 to 1979.
On October 18, 1973, he was elected a member of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, taking seat 12, following the death of Jules Romains
Jules Romains
Jules Romains, born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule , was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement...
. On the death of Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer, the "father of modern anthropology"....
on 30 October 2009, he became the Dean of the Académie, its longest-serving member. He is also a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. In 2010, he was awarded the Ovid Prize
Ovid Prize
The Ovid Prize, established in 2002, is a literary prize awarded annually to an author from any country, in recognition of a body of work. Past recipients include Orhan Pamuk, Andrei Codrescu, Amoz Oz, Jorge Semprún and António Lobo Antunes. It is named in honour of the Roman poet Ovid, who died in...
, Romania, in recognition of his body of work and he is Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross
Order of the Southern Cross
The National Order of the Southern Cross is a Brazilian order of chivalry founded by Emperor Pedro I on 1 December 1822. This order was intended to commemorate the independence of Brazil and the coronation of Pedro I...
of Brazil.
External links
- List of novels by Jean d'Ormesson on the Académie française web site.
- Jean d'Ormesson -- Photos by Mathieu Bourgois.