Jean-Paul Kauffmann par Claude Truong-Ngoc octobre 2013

Jean-Paul Kauffmann (born 8 August 1944 in

Saint-Pierre-la-Cour Saint-Pierre-la-Cour () is a commune, in the Mayenne department in the north-western of France. Population See also *Communes of the Mayenne department The following is a list of the 240 communes of the Mayenne department of France. ...

Mayenne Mayenne ( ) is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Il ...

) is a French journalist and writer, a former student of the

École supérieure de journalisme de Lille The École supérieure de journalisme de Lille (, ''Superior School of Journalism of Lille'', abbr. ESJ Lille) is a private non-profit institution of higher education, a French ''Grande École'' in Lille dedicated to journalism and related studies ...

(40th class).

Biography

His great-grandfather Michel Kauffmann left

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

in 1871 after the

Treaty of Frankfurt The Treaty of Frankfurt may refer to one of three treaties signed at Frankfurt, as follows: * Treaty of Frankfurt (1489) – Treaty between Maximilian of Austria and the envoys of King Charles VIII of France * Treaty of Frankfurt (1539) – Initi ...

and settled in the region of Vitré.

Philippe Petit Philippe Petit (; born 13 August 1949) is a French highwire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized highwire walks between the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twi ...

, "Jean-Paul Kauffmann", program ''À voix nue'' on

France Culture France Culture () is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France Radio France () is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist ...

, 14 April 2014 Jean-Paul Kauffmann was born at

but when he was nine months old, his parents moved to

Corps-Nuds Corps-Nuds (; ; Gallo: ''Cornut'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Corps-Nuds are called ''Cornusiens'' in French. See also *Communes of the Ille-et-Vilaine depa ...

, in Ille-et-Vilaine, to take over a bakery. He entered as a boarder in a religious college at age 11. Unhappy during these "overwhelming years", he took refuge in reading the works of Balzac, Stendhal and above all,

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, ; ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French Fable, fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''La Fontaine's Fables, Fables'', which provided a model for subs ...

. Due to his love of literature, he believed he had the vocation of a journalist and studied at the

between 1962 and 1966. He did his military service as a cooperant in an educational service in Quebec. He extended his stay there by working in a weekly supplement in the Montreal press. Assistant to the

Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution () was a period of socio-political and socio-cultural transformation in French Canada, particularly in Quebec, following the 1960 Quebec general election. This period was marked by the secularization of the government, the ...

, he dreamed of staying permanently in the country after falling in love with Mara, a bookseller from

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, as he recalls in his narrative ''Courlande''.

Hostage in Lebanon

After returning to France in 1970, Kauffmann was employed as a journalist for

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the State media, state-owned international radio news network of France. With 59.5 million listeners in 2022, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world ...

for seven years before moving to AFP. In 1977, he joined the editorial office of the daily ''

Le Matin de Paris ''Le Matin de Paris'' (, ''The Morning of Paris'') was a French daily newspaper, founded on 1 March 1977 by Claude Perdriel, and disappearing in 1987 ("dépôt de bilan" on 6 May). Its foundation is the subject of the documentary ''Numéros zéro ...

'' and in 1984 became a reporter for ''

L'Événement du jeudi L'Événement du jeudi (Thursday Event) is a French weekly magazine of general news and centrist opinion, founded in 1984 by Jean-François Kahn. It disappeared in 2001. History Launch One of the original features of its foundation was the rea ...

''. On 22 May 1985, while on assignment in Lebanon, he was abducted in Beirut along with sociologist Michel Seurat. His wife was actively committed to his release which occurred on 4 May 1988 with other hostages, through the intervention of

Jean-Charles Marchiani Jean-Charles Marchiani (born 6 August 1943) is a French prefect, former intelligence officer and politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament for France from 1999 to 2004, representing the Rally for France party. Prior to his po ...

, while

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

was Prime minister of

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

. Michel Seurat, who had been captured with Kauffmann, died in custody in 1986. On the occasion of this abduction, Jean-Paul Kauffman lived the traumatic experience of traveling on several occasions, wrapped in an Oriental carpet where asphyxia caused him to lose consciousness, which led him to deepen his reflection and strongly marked his life:
His captors provided him with some books during his captivity, including the second volume of

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

's ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...

'' and

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...

's ''

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' is a 1963 Cold War spy fiction, spy novel by the British author John le Carré. It depicts Alec Leamas, a United Kingdom, British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux Defection, defect ...

.'' In the latter, Kauffmann found many similarities and an understanding of his captors’ behavior.John le Carré, ''The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life'', Penguin Random House UK, ISBN 978-0-241-25755-5, 2016, pp. 252-254

Writer

In 1994, Jean-Paul Kauffmann created the magazine ''L'Amateur de cigare''. As a writer, he published ''L'

Kerguelen Arch The Kerguelen Arch is a former natural arch on the island of Grande Terre in the Kerguelen Islands of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, an archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean. Although the arch collapsed sometime between 1908 and 1913, ...

'' (1993) which earned the

Prix Jean-Freustié Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who a ...

, then ''La Chambre noire de Longwood : le voyage à Sainte-Hélène'' (1997) which was awarded numerous prizes (

prix Roger Nimier The Roger Nimier Prize () is a French literature award. It is supposed to go to "a young author whose spirit is in line with the literary works of Roger Nimier". Nimier (1925–1962) was a novelist and a leading member of the Hussards movement. The ...

, Grand Prix Lire-RTL, Prix Jules-Verne,

prix Joseph-Kessel The Prix Joseph Kessel is a prize in French language literature, given to "a book of a high literary value written in French". The jury includes or has included among its members Tahar Ben Jelloun, Jean-Marie Drot, Michèle Kahn, Pierre Haski, Gil ...

and ); ''La Lutte avec l'Ange'' (2001) and ''31, allées Damour - Raymond Guérin 1905-1955'' (2004). All these books have a common theme: enclosure, but never directly evoke his experience as a

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized—such as a relative, employer, law enforcement, or government—to act, o ...

. In 2002, Jean-Paul Kauffmann received the

Grand prix de littérature Paul-Morand The Grand prix de littérature Paul-Morand is a French literary award, established by the Académie française in 1977 and handed out in 1980 for the first time. The prize goes to an author for their entire body of work. It is named after the writ ...

awarded by the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. For the first time in 2007, in ''La Maison du retour'' (2007), he evokes his captivity, his situation as a hostage and the moments which followed his return; the painful relearning of a "normal" life; his inability to read, for him the great literature enthusiast. As in all Jean-Paul Kauffmann's books, everything is written, in a subdued tone: through the story of buying a house, a den or an airlock, so as to be able to return to his family and to life. A lover of

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gi ...

s, he has published several books on the subject. With ''Courlande'' (Fayard, 2009), the story of a journey sets the plot of several quests, including that of the identity of a country,

Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

. He was awarded the

Prix de la langue française The is chronologically the first grand prix of the literary season in France. Established in 1986 by the city of Brive-la-Gaillarde in the department of Corrèze, this prize rewards the work of a personality of the literary, artistic or scientific ...

in 2009 for all his work.

Publications

*1989: ''Voyage à Bordeaux'', photographs by Michel Guillard,

Caisse des dépôts et consignations Caisse, a French word, may refer to: * Caisse Desjardins, an association of credit unions in Quebec * Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, a road-bicycle racing team *Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Q ...

*1989: ''Le Bordeaux retrouvé'' (excluding trade) *1992: ''L'Arche des Kerguelen : voyages aux îles de la désolation'',

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, second wife of Camille Flammarion * Sylvie Flammarion (1836-1919), French feminist and paci ...

, prix Jean-Freustié *1997: ''La Chambre noire de Longwood : le voyage à Sainte-Hélène'',

La Table Ronde LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

, prix Joseph Kessel, . ** 2000: ''The Dark Room at Longwood'', . *1997: Preface to ''Brouillard d'automne'', by , La Table Ronde *1997: ''L'Œil originel'', photographs by Frédéric Desmesure, published on the occasion of the 9th Salon Vinexpo and the exhibition "Regards du monde", Bordeaux, Parc des expositions, 16–20 June 1997, *1997: Postface to ''Mes grands Bordeaux'', by Pierre-Jean Rémy,

Albin Michel Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

*1999: ''La Morale d'Yquem : conversations with Alexandre de Lur Saluces'', Mollat- Grasset *2001: ''La Lutte avec l'Ange'', La Table Ronde, *2003: Preface to ''L'Âme du vin'' (1932), by

Maurice Constantin-Weyer Maurice Constantin-Weyer (24 April 1881, Bourbonne-les-Bains, Haute-Marne – 22 October 1964, Vichy, Allier) was a French writer. His best known novel is ''Un homme se penche sur son passé'', Prix Goncourt 1928 (tr.: ''A Man Scans His Past'', 19 ...

, La Table Ronde *2004: ''31, allées Damour : Raymond Guérin, 1905-1955'', Berg International-La Table Ronde *2005: Preface to ''Retour de barbarie'', by , . *2007: ''La Maison du retour'',

NiL Éditions NiL Éditions is a French publishing house Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term ...

, Prix Bretagne 2007 *2007: Preface to ''5 rue des Italiens. Chroniques du Monde'', by

Bernard Frank Bernard Frank (11 October 1929 – 3 November 2006) was a French journalist and writer. Early life Bernard Frank was raised in a comfortable family, where his father was a bank manager. After his baccalauréat, he started a Khâgne at the ...

, Grasset *2009: ''Courlande'',

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayar ...

, *2010: Preface to ''Château La Louvière. Le bel art du vin'', by Hélène Brun-Puginier, La Martinière *2011: ''Voyage à Bordeaux 1989'', edition revised and corrected by the author, Éditions des Équateurs, "Parallèles" *2011: ''Voyage en Champagne 1990'', edition revised and corrected by the author, Éditions des Équateurs, "Parallèles" *2013: ''Remonter la Marne'', Fayard *2016: ''Outre-Terre'', Éditions des Équateurs *2019: ''Venise à double tour,'' Éditions des Équateurs *2023: ''Zones limites'', Éditions Bouquins *2025: ''L’accident'', Paris, Éditions des Équateurs

References

External links

Jean-Paul Kauffmann
on

''Kauffmann, père et fils''
on ''

L'Express (, stylized in all caps) is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre-right in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''R� ...

'' (1/5/2009)
''Otage pendant trois ans au Liban, Jean-Paul Kauffmann a survécu grâce à une Bible''
on '' La Croix'' (17/01/2014)
Jean-Paul Kauffmann
on

France Inter France Inter () is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is the successor to Paris Inter, later known as France I, and created as a merger of the France I and France II networks, first as RTF Inter in October 1963, then ren ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kauffmann, Jean-Paul 20th-century French journalists 21st-century French journalists 20th-century French writers 21st-century French writers French war correspondents Joseph Kessel Prize recipients Roger Nimier Prize winners 1944 births People from Mayenne Living people