Maurice Druon
Encyclopedia
Maurice Druon was a French
novelist and a member of the Académie française
.
Born in Paris
, France
, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel
, with whom he translated the Chant des Partisans
, a French Resistance
anthem of World War II
, with music and words (in Russian) originally by Anna Marly
.
In 1948
he received the Prix Goncourt
for his novel Les grandes familles.
He was elected to the 30th seat of the Académie française on December 8, 1966, succeeding Georges Duhamel
. On the death of Henri Troyat
on 2 March 2007, he became the Dean of the Académie, its longest-serving member.
While his scholarly writing earned him a seat at the Académie, he is best known for a series of seven historical novels published in the 1950s under the title Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings).
He was Minister of Cultural Affairs
(1973–1974) in Pierre Messmer
's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris (1978–1981).
Druon was a descendant of Brazil
ian author Odorico Mendes.
English editions as published in the United States, rather than literal translations of the original French titles.
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 and 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,...
.
Born 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...
, 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...
, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel
Joseph Kessel
Joseph Kessel was a French journalist and novelist.He was born in Villa Clara, Entre Ríos, Argentina, because of the constant journeys of his father, a Lithuanian doctor of Jewish origin. Joseph Kessel lived the first years of his childhood in Orenburg, Russia, before the family moved to France...
, with whom he translated the Chant des Partisans
Chant des Partisans
The Chant des Partisans was the most popular song of the Free French during World War II.The piece was written and put to melody in London in 1943 after Anna Marly heard a Russian song that provided her with inspiration. Joseph Kessel and Maurice Druon wrote the French lyrics. It was performed by...
, a 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...
anthem of 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...
, with music and words (in Russian) originally by Anna Marly
Anna Marly
Anna Marly , , was a Russian born French singer-songwriter. She is best remembered as the composer of the Chant des Partisans, a protest song that was used as the ersatz anthem of the Free French Forces during World War II; the popularity of the Chant des Partisans was such that it was proposed as...
.
In 1948
1948 in literature
The year 1948 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The Pulitzer Prize for the Novel is renamed the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction....
he received the Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
for his novel Les grandes familles.
He was elected to the 30th seat of the Académie française on December 8, 1966, succeeding Georges Duhamel
Georges Duhamel
Georges Duhamel , was a French author, born in Paris. Duhamel trained as a doctor, and during World War I was attached to the French Army. In 1920, he published Confession de minuit , the first of a series featuring the anti-hero Salavin...
. On the death of Henri Troyat
Henri Troyat
Henri Troyat was a Russian born French author, biographer, historian and novelist.-Biography:Troyat was born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov, in Moscow to parents of mixed heritage, including Armenian, Russian, German and Georgian...
on 2 March 2007, he became the Dean of the Académie, its longest-serving member.
While his scholarly writing earned him a seat at the Académie, he is best known for a series of seven historical novels published in the 1950s under the title Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings).
He was Minister of Cultural Affairs
Minister of Culture (France)
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
(1973–1974) in Pierre Messmer
Pierre Messmer
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV – and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974...
's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris (1978–1981).
Druon was a descendant of 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...
ian author Odorico Mendes.
Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings)
The individual English titles below are from the ScribnerCharles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
English editions as published in the United States, rather than literal translations of the original French titles.
- Le Roi de fer (The Iron King)
- La Reine étranglée (The Strangled Queen)
- Les Poisons de la couronne (The Poisoned Crown)
- La Loi des mâles (The Royal Succession)
- La Louve de France (The She-Wolf of France)
- Le Lis et le Lion (The Lily and the Lion)
- Quand un Roi perd la France (When a King Loses France)
Honours and awards
- Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
- Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
- Médaille de la France libre
- Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)
- Grand Officer of Merit of the Sovereign Order of Malta
- Dignitary or holder of Orders of the following countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Mexico, Monaco, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Tunisia
- Honorary Doctorates from York University (Toronto), Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
(USA) and the University of TiranaUniversity of TiranaThe University of Tirana is a public university located in Tirana, Albania.-History:UT was founded in 1957 as the State University of Tirana through the merging of five existing institutes of higher education, the most important of which was the Institute of Sciences, founded in 1947...
(Albania) - Prix GoncourtPrix GoncourtThe Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
(The Big Family, 1948) - Literary Award of the Foundation of Prince Pierre de Monaco (for lifetime achievement, 1966)
- Prix Saint-Simon (Circumstances, 1998)
- Prize Agrippa d'Aubigné (The Good French, 2000)
- Order of FriendshipOrder of FriendshipThe Order of Friendship is a state decoration of Russia established by decree # 442 of March 2, 1994 of the President of the Russian Federation....
, 1993 (Russia)