Maurice Druon (23 April 1918 – 14 April 2009) was a French

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

and a member of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999.

Life and career

Born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, France, Druon was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrant Lazare Kessel (1899–1920) and was brought up at La Croix-Saint-Leufroy in Normandy and educated at the lycée Michelet de Vanves. His father committed suicide in 1920 and his mother remarried in 1926; Maurice subsequently took the name of his adoptive father, the lawyer René Druon (1874–1961). He was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he translated the '' Chant des Partisans'', a

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

anthem of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, with music and words (in Russian) originally by Anna Marly. Druon was a member of the Resistance and came to London in 1943 to participate in the BBC's "Honneur et Patrie" programme. Druon began writing for literary journals at the age of 18. In September 1939, having been called up for military service, he wrote an article for '' Paris-Soir'' entitled "J'ai vingt ans et je pars (I am twenty years old and I am leaving)". Following the fall of France in 1940, he was demobilized and remained in the unoccupied zone of France, and his first play, ''Mégarée'', was produced in Monte Carlo in February 1942. He left the same year to join the forces of

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

. Druon became aide de camp to General

François d'Astier de La Vigerie François d'Astier de La Vigerie (7 March 1886 – 9 October 1956) was a French military leader during two World Wars. His family were from Vivarais, and were ennobled in 1829 under the French Restoration. His father, le baron Raoul d'Astier ...

. In 1948 Druon received the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') 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 prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

for his novel ', and later published two sequels. Druon was elected to the 30th seat of the Académie française on 8 December 1966, succeeding

Georges Duhamel Georges Duhamel (; ; 30 June 1884 – 13 April 1966) 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 se ...

. He was elected as "Perpetual Secretary" in 1985, but chose to resign the office in late 1999 due to old age; he successfully pushed for

Hélène Carrère d'Encausse Hélène Carrère d'Encausse (; born Hélène Zourabichvili; 6 July 1929) is a French political historian of Georgian origin, specializing in Russian history. Since 1999, she has served as the Perpetual Secretary of the Académie française, to ...

to succeed him, the first woman to hold the post, and was styled Honorary Perpetual Secretary after 2000. On the death of

Henri Troyat Henri Troyat (born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov; – 2 March 2007) was a Russian-born French author, biographer, historian and novelist. Early life Lev Aslanovich Tarasov (russian: link=no, Лев Асланович Тарасов, ''Lev Aslanovich ...

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, Druon is best known for a series of seven historical novels published in the 1950s under the title '' Les Rois maudits'' (''The Accursed Kings''). The novels were adapted for French television in 1972, gaining a wider audience through overseas sales, and again in 2005, starring

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. M ...

. Fantasy writer George R. R. Martin stated that the novels had been an inspiration for his fantasy series ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, '' A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who i ...

'', and called Druon "France's best historical novelist since Alexandre Dumas, ''père''". Druon's only work for children – ''Tistou les pouces verts'' – was published in 1957 and translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

in 1958 (as ''Tistou of the Green Thumbs'') and 2012 (as ''Tistou: The Boy With Green Thumbs''). Druon was Minister of Cultural Affairs (1973–1974) in

Pierre Messmer Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer (; 20 March 191629 August 2007) 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 L ...

's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris (1978–1981). He was survived by his second wife, Madeleine Marignac, whom he married in 1968. Madeleine Druon died in 2016 aged 91. Druon was a descendant of Brazilian author Odorico Mendes.

''Les Rois maudits'' (''The Accursed Kings'')

The individual English titles below are from the Scribner 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 Lys et le lion'' (''The Lily and the Lion'') # ''Quand un Roi perd la France'' (''The King Without a Kingdom'')

Bibliography

* ''Mégarée, pièce en trois actes, créée au Grand Théâtre de Monte-Carlo'' (1942) * ''Le Sonneur de bien aller'' (1943 — novella) * ''Préface d'un chameau en pyjame'' (1943) * ''Le Chant des Partisans'' (with Joseph Kessel, 1943) * ''Lettres d’un Européen, essai'' (1944) * ''La Dernière Brigade, roman'' (1946) * ''Ithaque délivrée, poème dramatique traduit de l’anglais; d’après The Rescue d’Edward Sackville-West'' (1947) * ''Les Grandes Familles'' (1948) * ''La Chute des corps'' (Les Grandes Familles, II, 1950) * ''Rendez-vous aux enfers'' (Les Grandes Familles, III, 1951) * ''Remarques'' (1952) * ''Un voyageur, comédie en un acte, au répertoire de la Comédie française'' (1953) * ''Le Coup de grâce, mélodrame en trois actes'' (with Joseph Kessel, 1953) * ''La Volupté d’être, roman'' (1954) * ''La Reine étranglée'' (Les Rois maudits, II, 1955) * ''Le Roi de fer (Les Rois maudits, I, 1955) * ''Les Poisons de la couronne'' (Les Rois maudits, III, 1956) * ''L'Hôtel de Mondez, nouvelle'' (1956) * ''La Loi des mâles'' (Les Rois maudits, IV, 1957) * ''Tistou les pouces verts'' (1957) * ''Alexandre le Grand'' (1958) * ''La Louve de France'' (Les Rois maudits, V, 1959) * ''Le Lis et le lion'' (Les Rois maudits, VI, 1960) * ''Des Seigneurs de la plaine à l’hôtel de Mondez'' (1962 — Short story collection) * ''Théâtre'' — ''Mégarée'', ''Un voyageur'', ''La Contessa'' (1962) * ''Les Mémoires de Zeus'' (1963) * ''Bernard Buffet, essai'' (1964 — Essay) * ''Paris, de César à Saint Louis'' (1964 — Historical essay) * ''Le Pouvoir, notes et maximes'' (1965) * ''Les Tambours de la mémoire'' (1965) * ''Les Rois maudits, roman historique'' (6 volumes, 1966) * ''Les Mémoires de Zeus, II, roman historique'' (1967) * ''Le Bonheur des uns, nouvelles'' (1967) * ''Vézelay, colline éternelle'' (1968) * ''L'Avenir en désarroi, essai'' (1968) * ''Grandeur et signification de Leningrad'' (1968) * ''Lettres d’un Européen et Nouvelles Lettres d’un Européen, 1943–1970'' (1970 — essay) * ''Splendeur provençale'' (1970) * ''Une Église qui se trompe de siècle'' (1972) * ''La Parole et le Pouvoir'' (1974) * ''Œuvres complètes'' (25 volumes with unpublished material, 1977) * ''Quand un roi perd la France'' (Les Rois maudits, VII, 1977) * ''Attention la France !'' (1981) * ''Réformer la démocratie'' (1982) * ''La Culture et l’État'' (1985) * ''Vézelay, colline éternelle, nouvelle édition'' (1987) * ''Lettre aux Français sur leur langue et leur âme'' (1994) * ''Circonstances'' (1997) * ''Circonstances politiques, 1954–1974'' (1998) * ''Le bon français'' (1999) * ''Circonstances politiques II, 1974–1998'' (1999) * ''La France aux ordres d’un cadavre'' (2000) * ''Ordonnances pour un État malade'' (2002) * ''Le Franc-parler'' (2003) * ''Mémoires. L'aurore vient du fond du ciel'' (2006) * ''Les mémoires de Zeus'' (2007)

Honours

* Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

* Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters * Médaille de la France libre * Honorary

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(KBE) * Grand Officer of Merit of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

* Commandor in the Order of the Phoenix * Knight Grand Cross in the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-rankin ...

* Knight Grand Cross in the

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...

* Grand Officer in the Order of the Lion of Senegal * Knight Grand Cross in the Military Order of Christ * Knight officer in the Order of May.

Awards

* Honorary Doctorates from

York University (Toronto) York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

(USA) and the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the ''State University of Tirana'' in 1957 through merging of f ...

(Albania) *

(''The Rise of Simon Lachaume'', 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 Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...

, 1993 (Russia) *

Gallery

File:Виктор Черномырдин и Морис Дрюон в Оренбурге. 2003 год..jpg, Maurice Druon in

Orenburg Orenburg (russian: Оренбу́рг, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the border with Kazakhst ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

in 2003. File:Виктор Черномырдин, Морис Дрюон, Александр Стручков..jpg, Maurice Druon in

, 2003. File:Морис Дрюон с супругой Мадлен в Оренбурге. 2003 год..jpg, Maurice Druon in

, 2003.

References

External links

L'Académie française
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Druon, Maurice 1918 births 2009 deaths People from Eure French historical novelists French Ministers of Culture Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni Members of the Académie Française Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences 20th-century French Jews French people of Russian-Jewish descent Prix Goncourt winners Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres French male novelists 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French male writers French military personnel of World War II Free French military personnel of World War II