Bernard Charles Henri Clavel (29 May 1923 – 5 October 2010) was a French writer. Clavel was born in

Lons-le-Saunier Lons-le-Saunier () is a commune and capital of the Jura Department, eastern France. Geography The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the first plateau of the Jura massif. The Jura escarpment extends to the east and ...

. From a humble background, he was largely self-educated. He began working as a pastry cook apprentice when he was 14 years old. He later had several jobs until he began working as a journalist in the 1950s. After the war, he worked for the

social insurance Social insurance is a form of social welfare that provides insurance against economic risks. The insurance may be provided publicly or through the subsidizing of private insurance. In contrast to other forms of social assistance, individuals' ...

, and he could not dedicate himself to literature until 1964. He lived and worked in many places, and was living in

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Sa ...

at the time of his death. His first novel was ''L'Ouvrier de la nuit'' (''Night Worker'', 1956). He later published works for young people and numerous novels, at times organised into series: ''La grande patience'' (''The Great Patience'', 4 volumes — 1962–1968), ''Les Colonnes du ciel'' (''Heaven's Pillars'', 5 volumes — 1976–1981), or ''Le Royaume du nord'' (''Northern Kingdom'', 6 volumes — 1983–1989). In his writings, he employed simple language and attached importance to humble characters and to the defence of humanist values by questioning violence and war. He died in

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

Prizes and memberships

* Prix Goncourt for '' Les Fruits de l'hiver'': 1968 * Member of

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (Goncourt Literary Society), usually called the Académie Goncourt (Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1900 by the French writer and publisher Edmond de G ...

1971–1977. * Member of Coordination française pour la Décennie de la culture de paix et de non-violence. * Member of Non-Violence XXI group since 2001.

Partial bibliography

* '' Cargo pour l'enfer'', 1993 * ''Malataverne'', 1993 *''L'Arbre qui chante'' *''Les Roses de Verdun'' *Collection ''La Grande Patience'' *# ''La Maison des autres'' *# ''Celui qui voulait voir la mer'' *# ''Le Cœur des vivants'' *# '' Les Fruits de l'hiver'' *Collection ''Les Colonnes du ciel'' *# ''La Saison des loups'' *# ''La Lumière du lac'' *# ''La Femme de guerre'' *# ''Marie Bon pain'' *# ''Compagnons du Nouveau Monde'' * Collection ''Le Royaume du nord'' *# ''Harricana'', 1983 *# ''L'Or de la terre'', 1984 *# ''Miséréré'', 1985 *# ''Amarok'', 1987 *# ''L'Angélus du soir'', 1988 *# ''Maudits sauvages'', 1989

Film adaptations

* ''

God's Thunder ''God's Thunder'' or ''Le Tonnerre de Dieu'' is a 1965 French-Italian-West German comedy-drama film directed by Denys de La Patellière and starring Jean Gabin and Michèle Mercier. Plot Upset by his wife's inability to bear him a child, Brass ...

'' (1966), Denys de La Patellière, from the book ''Qui m'emporte''. * '' Le Voyage du père'' (1966), Denys de La Patellière.

Television adaptations

* '' La Maison des autres'' (1977), Jean-Pierre Marchand Bernard Clavel. * ''L'hercule sur la place''. * '' L'Espagnol'' (1967), directed by Jean Prat. * ''Le Tambour du bief'' * ''Le Silence des armes'' * ''Malataverne'' * ''La Bourelle'' *''Les colonnes du ciel'', adaptation by Gabriel Axel in 5 episodes of 90 minutes.

References

External links

*
Official website

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clavel, Bernard 1923 births 2010 deaths People from Lons-le-Saunier 20th-century French non-fiction writers 20th-century French male writers Writers from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Prix Goncourt winners Prix Maison de la Presse winners Knights of the National Order of Quebec Légion d'honneur refusals