Paul Berna
Encyclopedia
Jean-Marie-Edmond Sabran (21 February 1908, Hyères
, Var – 19 January 1994, Paris
), best known by his pseudonym
Paul Berna, was a French writer whose children's books were also published in Britain and the United States.
Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked on a suburban newspaper. After publishing several books under his own name, from 1952 he wrote children's books under the pseudonym Paul Berna. His books were published by Rouge et Or, the publishing house where his brother Guy Sabran worked as an illustrator. The brothers collaborated on Zoupette en camping, Les Contes des mille et une nuits and Nous irons à Lunaterra.
His most famous book Le Cheval sans tête, usually known in English as A Hundred Million Francs, was published in 1958. It concerns the adventures of a gang of street urchins from the slums of Paris whose plaything, a headless horse on wheels, is used as a hiding-place by train robbers. It has been translated into several languages, enjoying great success in Britain and the United States. In 1963, the Disney Studios
in Britain filmed the book as The Horse Without a Head: The 100,000,000 Franc Train Robbery, scripted by T. E. B. Clarke
and starring Jean-Pierre Aumont
and Herbert Lom
.
The Mystery of the Cross-eyed Man was read on Jackanory
in 1968 by Keith Barron
.
Paul Berna also wrote science fiction novels, the best known being La Porte des étoiles (Threshold of the Stars) and its sequel Le Continent du Ciel (Continent in the Sky).
For his adult novels he used the pseudonyms Bernard Deleuze and Paul Gerrard, and for detective fiction, Joel Audrenn.
In 1958, Jean Sabran married Jany Saint-Marcoux, herself an author of Rouge et Or books for children.
At the end of his life he suffered from blindness.
Hyères
Hyères , Provençal Occitan: Ieras in classical norm or Iero in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France....
, Var – 19 January 1994, 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...
), best known by his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Paul Berna, was a French writer whose children's books were also published in Britain and the United States.
Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked on a suburban newspaper. After publishing several books under his own name, from 1952 he wrote children's books under the pseudonym Paul Berna. His books were published by Rouge et Or, the publishing house where his brother Guy Sabran worked as an illustrator. The brothers collaborated on Zoupette en camping, Les Contes des mille et une nuits and Nous irons à Lunaterra.
His most famous book Le Cheval sans tête, usually known in English as A Hundred Million Francs, was published in 1958. It concerns the adventures of a gang of street urchins from the slums of Paris whose plaything, a headless horse on wheels, is used as a hiding-place by train robbers. It has been translated into several languages, enjoying great success in Britain and the United States. In 1963, the Disney Studios
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
in Britain filmed the book as The Horse Without a Head: The 100,000,000 Franc Train Robbery, scripted by T. E. B. Clarke
T. E. B. Clarke
Thomas Ernest Bennett "Tibby" Clarke was a movie scriptwriter who wrote several of the Ealing Studios comedies. His scripts always feature careful logical development from a slightly absurd premise to a farcical conclusion...
and starring Jean-Pierre Aumont
Jean-Pierre Aumont
-Early life:Aumont was born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons in Paris, the son of Suzanne and Alexandre Salomons, owner of La Maison du Blanc . His mother's uncle was well-known stage actor Georges Berr. His father was from a Dutch Jewish family and his mother's family were French Jews...
and Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
.
The Mystery of the Cross-eyed Man was read on Jackanory
Jackanory
Jackanory is a long-running BBC children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, the first story being the fairy-tale Cap o' Rushes read by Lee Montague. Jackanory continued to be broadcast until 24 March 1996,...
in 1968 by Keith Barron
Keith Barron
Keith Barron is an English actor and television presenter, well-known from numerous roles on British television from the 1960s to the present day.-Career:...
.
Paul Berna also wrote science fiction novels, the best known being La Porte des étoiles (Threshold of the Stars) and its sequel Le Continent du Ciel (Continent in the Sky).
For his adult novels he used the pseudonyms Bernard Deleuze and Paul Gerrard, and for detective fiction, Joel Audrenn.
In 1958, Jean Sabran married Jany Saint-Marcoux, herself an author of Rouge et Or books for children.
At the end of his life he suffered from blindness.
Works in translation
- Threshold of the Stars (La Porte des étoiles), 1954
- Continent in the Sky (Le Continent du ciel), 1955
- A Hundred Million Francs (Le Cheval sans tête), 1955
- The Street Musician (Le Piano à bretelle), 1956
- The Knights of King Midas (Millionnaires en herbe), 1958
- Flood Warning (La Grande Alerte), 1960
- The Mystery of Saint Salgue (La Piste du souvenir), 1962
- The Clue of the Black Cat (Le Témoignage du chat noir), 1963
- The Mystery of the Cross-Eyed Man (Les Pèlerins de Chiberta), 1965
- The Mule on the Motorway aka The Mule on the Espressway (Le Commissaire Sinet et le mystère de l'autoroute du sud), 1967
- A Truckload of Rice (Le Commissaire Sinet et le mystère des poissons rouges), 1968
- The Secret of the Missing Boat (L'Epave de la Bérénice), 1969
- They Didn't Come Back (Un Pays sans légende), 1969
- The Myna Bird Mystery (L'Opération oiseau-noir), 1970
- Gaby and the New Money Fraud (Le Bout du monde), 1971
- Vagabonds of the Pacific (Les Vagabonds du Pacifique ), 1973
- The Vagabonds Ashore (La Grande Rallye de Mirabal), 1973
As Bernard Deleuze
- Vagabond of the Andes (Vagabond des Andes) (1953)
- The Vengeance of Don Manuel (1953)