Nedd Willard
Encyclopedia
Nedd Willard (born 1926) is an American author and artist living in Thorens-Glières, France
, and Geneva, Switzerland.
on the Hudson River
and on the Atlantic Ocean
during the Second World War, after which he hitchhiked
across the United States, doing odd jobs
to earn his living. He toured Spain on a motorcycle in the 1960s and earned his doctorate
at the Sorbonne
with a dissertation on the subject of "Genius and Madness in the 18th Century."
Willard taught at the University of New Hampshire and Columbia University and then began work at international institutions
. Willard spent three months of professional activity in Ethiopia and three months in Cameroon. For six years he was chief of public information for the World Health Organization
in India and Southeast Asia, followed by an assignment as editor-in-chief of World Health magazine of the same agency. He then became editor of UN Special
, a magazine for international civil servants
in Geneva. In 1981 he was the information attaché for a world survey in preparation for the organization's fifth World Conference on Smoking and Health.
He is now a free-lance journalist and is a member of the Advisory Circle of the Seva Foundation
.
Thorens-Glières
Thorens-Glières is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, and is the birthplace of St. Francis de Sales.-References:*...
, and Geneva, Switzerland.
Biography
Born in New York City, Willard was a merchant sailorUnited States Merchant Marine
The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
during the Second World War, after which he hitchhiked
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
across the United States, doing odd jobs
Odd Jobs
Odd Jobs is an American comedy film produced by TriStar Pictures and HBO Films, and originally released to movie theatres in 1986.- Cast :* Paul Reiser - Max* Robert Townsend - Dwight...
to earn his living. He toured Spain on a motorcycle in the 1960s and earned his doctorate
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
with a dissertation on the subject of "Genius and Madness in the 18th Century."
Willard taught at the University of New Hampshire and Columbia University and then began work at international institutions
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
. Willard spent three months of professional activity in Ethiopia and three months in Cameroon. For six years he was chief of public information for the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
in India and Southeast Asia, followed by an assignment as editor-in-chief of World Health magazine of the same agency. He then became editor of UN Special
UN Special (magazine)
UN Special is the monthly magazine of international civil servants working in the United Nations system in Geneva, mainly from the United Nations Office at Geneva and the World Health Organization...
, a magazine for international civil servants
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in Geneva. In 1981 he was the information attaché for a world survey in preparation for the organization's fifth World Conference on Smoking and Health.
He is now a free-lance journalist and is a member of the Advisory Circle of the Seva Foundation
Seva Foundation
Seva Foundation is an international health organization based in Berkeley, California, that was founded in 1978 by public health expert Dr. Larry Brilliant. Seva is best known for their work restoring eyesight to nearly 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in places like Tibet,...
.
Published works
- Le Génie et la Folie au Dix-Huitième Siècle (1963) Paris: Presses Universitaires de France. Of that book, science historian Mirko Drazen Grmek wrote:
Willard diligently analyzes the conception of Man, Genius and Madness such as it appears in the writings of Diderot, in the EncyclopédieEncyclopédieEncyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
, in the Tableau de Paris, by Louis-Sébastien MercierLouis-Sébastien MercierLouis-Sébastien Mercier was a French dramatist and writer.-Early life and education:He was born in Paris to a humble family: his father was a skilled artisan who polished swords and metal arms. Mercier nevertheless received a decent education.-Literary career:Mercier began his literary career by...
and in the works of Offray de La MettrieJulien Offray de La MettrieJulien Offray de La Mettrie was a French physician and philosopher, and one of the earliest of the French materialists of the Enlightenment...
and the marquis de SadeMarquis de SadeDonatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle...
. It is a pity that Willard omits pointing to the medical works of this era (PinelPinelPinel is the surname of:* Raquel Pinel, Spanish football forward currently playing for Valencia CF in the Spanish league* Marcel Pinel , French footballer* Suzanne Pinel, CM is a Canadian children's entertainer and citizenship judge...
, CabanisCabanisCabanis is the surname of:*Jean Cabanis, a German ornithologist*José Cabanis, French writer*Pierre Jean George Cabanis , a French physiologist and philosopher...
, etc.). And, what's more, that he ignores, it seems, several of the most important studies on this subject (Lange-Eichbaum, Semelaigne, etc.). The author does not make the necessary distinction between neuroses, psychoses and troubles of intelligence. Nevertheless, this monograph is a useful contribution to the knowledge about the position taken by the principal French literary and scientific movement in the 18th century concerning the "irrational" behavior of the individual.
- "Welcome schizophrenia, Jet-lag in Geneva," Ex Tempore, an International Literary Journal, December 2001
- "Running breathlessly, the enemies, spring in dying, teach me to be a tree," Ex Tempore, December 2001
- "Picasso Is a Cannibal," essay, Ex Tempore, December 2002
- "Curtains for the Che," essay, Ex Tempore, December 2002
- "Our Swords are Made of Tin, The Sailor’s Prayer," Ex Tempore, December 2002
- The Giant Who Was So Small, children's book
- A Hard Look at Drugs, 1967, World Health Organization
- Travels With a Thin Skin, 2010, Gardners Books
- "Julien Green: A World Both Violent and Poetic," manuscript archival material, 1952
- La Moralité du Théâtre de Louis-Sébastien, Mercier, Paris, 1955
Musical cassette
- "Avoidable Disablement," with John Wilson, Ruth Landy, Lucas T. Tandap, World Health Organization, 1984