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 wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and a member of 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 ...

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

Life and career

Born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, 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 ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

anthem of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

. Druon became aide de camp to General François d'Astier de La Vigerie. In 1948 Druon received the

Prix Goncourt The 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 of only 10 euros, but resul ...

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

. A third adaptation, this time for film, was announced to be in development in late 2024, with plans for ''The Iron King'' (the first film'')'' to begin production in 2026''.'' Fantasy writer

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...

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 high fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the first volume, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and published it in 1996. Martin, who originally envisioned the ser ...

'', 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 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 ...

's cabinet, and a deputy for Paris's 22nd constituency (1978–1981). He was survived by his second wife, Madeleine Marignac, whom he married in 1968. Madeleine Druon died in 2016 aged 91.

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

The titles from the individual Scribner English editions as published in the United States are given below, as well as the literal English translations of the original French titles.

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 ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

* 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

* 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 () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

* Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Aztec Eagle * Grand Officer in the Order of the Lion of Senegal * Knight Grand Cross in the

Military Order of Christ The Military Order of Christ is a Honorific orders of Portugal, Portuguese honorific order. It is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910, it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Chr ...

* Knight officer in the Order of May.

Awards

* Honorary Doctorates from York University (Toronto),

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

(USA) and the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana (, 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 (SUT) in 1957 through merging of five existing institutes ...

(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 A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

(''The Good French'', 2000) *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') 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 and efforts have been aimed at ...

, 1993 (Russia) *

Gallery

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

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in 2003. File:Виктор Черномырдин, Морис Дрюон, Александр Стручков..jpg, Maurice Druon in Orenburg, 2003. File:Морис Дрюон с супругой Мадлен в Оренбурге. 2003 год..jpg, Maurice Druon in Orenburg, 2003.

References

External links

L'Académie française
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Druon, Maurice 1918 births 2009 deaths People from Eure Writers from Normandy French historical novelists Ministers of culture of France 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 Cross of the Legion of Honour Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Members of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco 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