Pierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan (born Pierre Dumarchey; February 26, 1882 – June 27, 1970), was a French novelist and songwriter. His novel ''

Quai des Brumes ''Port of Shadows'' ( , "The dock of mists") is a 1938 French film directed by Marcel Carné. An example of poetic realism, it stars Jean Gabin, Michel Simon and Michèle Morgan. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert based on a novel by ...

'' was the source for

Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), ''Les Visiteurs du Soi ...

's 1938 film of the same name, starring

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin Alexis Moncorgé (born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé), known as Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976), was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films, including '' Pépé le ...

. He was also a prolific writer of ''chansons'', many of which were recorded and popularized by French singers such as

Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...

, Monique Morelli,

Catherine Sauvage Catherine Sauvage (; 26 May 1929 – 20 March 1998) was a French singer and actress. Early life Born Marcelle Jeanine Saunier in Nancy, France, she moved with her family in 1940 to the Free Zone in Annecy. After high school, she turned to the ...

Francesca Solleville Francesca Solleville (born 2 March 1932, Périgueux) is a French singer. She lives in Malakoff (Hauts-de-Seine). She is the granddaughter of the founder of the . She is married to the painter Louis . Biography Francesca Solleville was born in P ...

, and

Germaine Montero Germaine Montero (1909–2000) was a French singer and a stage, television and film actress.Conway p.87 Partial filmography * '' Sapho'' (1934) - Madame Sombreuse * '' The Sin of Rogelia Sanchez'' (1940) - Rogelia Sanchez * '' Saint Rogelia'' ( ...

Life

Born in

Péronne, Somme Péronne () is a Commune in France, commune of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is the former site of the Péronne monastery, founded by the Anglo-Saxon Eorcenwald. Its site ...

, in northern France, Mac Orlan lived in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

and

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 ...

as a young man, working at a variety of jobs and learning to play the

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

. In his twenties, he travelled widely in Europe, before returning to Paris and becoming a noted figure in

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

art circles. In particular, his song performances were a regular feature at the

Lapin Agile Lapin Agile is a famous Montmartre cabaret, at 22 Rue des Saules, 18th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The venue existed circa 1860 under the name Au rendez-vous des voleurs, meaning "Where the Thieves Meet". Some twenty years la ...

cabaret. During this period, he was part of a broad circle of writers and painters including

Max Jacob Max Jacob (; 12 July 1876 – 5 March 1944) was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic. Life and career After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic c ...

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (; born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955) was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. From the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painters of ...

and

Francis Carco Francis Carco (born François Carcopino-Tusoli) (3 July 1886 – 26 May 1958) was a French author, born at Nouméa, New Caledonia. He was a poet, belonging to the ''Fantaisiste'' school, a novelist, a dramatist, and art critic for ''L'Homme libre ...

. He fought in the war against Germany until wounded in 1916, after which he worked as a

war correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

. In later years he earned a living as a writer in

Saint Cyr-sur-Morin Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin (, literally ''Saint-Cyr on Morin'') is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Inhabitants of Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin are called ''Saint-Cyriens''. See also *Communes of ...

, outside Paris. In the late 1920s he became an influential critic of film and photography, writing important essays about the work of

Eugène Atget Eugène Atget (; 12 February 1857 – 4 August 1927) was a French ''flâneur'' and a pioneer of documentary photography, noted for his determination to document all of the architecture and street scenes of Paris before their disappearance to mod ...

Germaine Krull Germaine Luise Krull (20 November 1897 – 31 July 1985) was a photographer, political activist, and hotel owner.Sichel, Kim. ''Germaine Krull: Photographer of Modernity''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1999. . Her nationality has been cate ...

and others.

Works

In addition to ''

'', his many novels included '' A Bord de l'Etoile Matutine'', translated into English by

Malcolm Cowley Malcolm Cowley (August 24, 1898 – March 27, 1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. His best known works include his first book of poetry, ''Blue Juniata'' (1929), and his memoir, ''Exile's Return'' ( ...

as '' On Board the Morning Star'', and '' La Bandera'' (1931). Among the popular ''chansons'' written by Mac Orlan are "Fille de Londres", "Le Pont du Nord" and "Nelly". The French singer

released an extensive set of her interpretations of Mac Orlan songs on the CD ''Meilleur de Germaine Montero''. Most recently, new English translations of his books ''A Handbook for the Perfect Adventurer'', translated by Napoleon Jeffries (2013), and ''Mademoiselle Bambù'', translated by Chris Clarke (2017), have been published in the United States by Wakefield Press. Using his real name, Pierre Dumarchey, and various pseudonyms including: Docteur Fowler, Pierre du Bourdel, Pierre de Jusange, Sadie Blackeyes, Chevalier de X, and Sadinet, he was for several years a writer for ''

Paris Sex-Appeal ''Paris Sex-Appeal'' was a monthly French erotic magazine published in Paris by Henri Francois from 1933 to 1951, though it was suspended during World War II. It featured light French fiction and articles. Illustrations throughout were erotic nud ...

'', and of pornographic novels, which frequently depicted

flagellation Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, Birching, rods, Switch (rod), switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, floggin ...

and

sado-masochism Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...

. These titles include: ''La Comtesse au fouet'' (1908), the story of a cruel

dominatrix A dominatrix ( ; or dominatrices ), or domme, is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. The BDSM practice is called female dominance, or femdom. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily l ...

, ''Les Grandes Flagellées de l'histoire'' (1909), ''Lise Fessée'' (1910), ''Masochism in America'' (1910), ''Miss'' (1912), and ''Petite dactylo et autres textes de flagellation'' (1913). He told

Pascal Pia Pascal Pia (15 August 1903, Paris - 27 September 1979, Paris), born Pierre Durand, was a French writer, journalist, illustrator and scholar. He also used the pseudonyms Pascal Rose, Pascal Fely and others. Childhood and Adolescence After the ...

that he used the Dumarchey name to upset an uncle of his who made his life hard.

Influences and legacy

The French writer and political theorist

Guy Debord Guy-Ernest Debord (; ; 28 December 1931 – 30 November 1994) was a French Marxist theorist, philosopher, filmmaker, critic of work, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situat ...

, founder of the

Situationist International The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution ...

was a constant reader of Mac Orlan's novels of urban adventure and "low life". The well-known photographer of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in the 1930s

Berenice Abbott Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) was an American photographer best known for her portraits of cultural figures of the interwar period, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science ...

was highly influenced by Mac Orlan's writings on the "fantastique" and the "social fantastique". The physicist

Freeman Dyson Freeman John Dyson (15 December 1923 – 28 February 2020) was a British-American theoretical physics, theoretical physicist and mathematician known for his works in quantum field theory, astrophysics, random matrix, random matrices, math ...

, in his 2008

AMS AMS or Ams may refer to: Organizations Companies * Alenia Marconi Systems * American Management Systems * AMS (Advanced Music Systems) * ams AG, semiconductor manufacturer * AMS Pictures * Auxiliary Medical Services Educational institutions ...

Albert Einstein Lecture, interprets Mac Orlan's song "La Ville Morte" ("The Dead City") as an example of the "empty city archetype", a

Jungian Analytical psychology (, sometimes translated as analytic psychology; also Jungian analysis) is a term referring to the psychological practices of Carl Jung. It was designed to distinguish it from Freud's psychoanalytic theories as their s ...

archetype as described by mathematician

Yuri I. Manin Yuri Ivanovich Manin (; 16 February 1937 – 7 January 2023) was a Russian mathematician, known for work in algebraic geometry and diophantine geometry, and many expository works ranging from mathematical logic to theoretical physics. Life an ...

Filmography

*'' La Bandera'', directed by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

(1935, based on the novel '' La Bandera'') *''

Port of Shadows ''Port of Shadows'' ( , "The dock of mists") is a 1938 French film directed by Marcel Carné. An example of poetic realism, it stars Jean Gabin, Michel Simon and Michèle Morgan. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert based on a novel ...

'', directed by

(1938, based on the novel ''Le Quai des brumes'') *''

Midnight Tradition ''Midnight Tradition'' (French: ''La tradition de minuit'') is a 1939 French mystery thriller film directed by Roger Richebé and starring Viviane Romance, Georges Flamant and Marcel Dalio. Rège p.540 Based on the 1930 novel of the same titl ...

'', directed by

Roger Richebé Roger Richebé (3 December 1897 – 10 July 1989), born Roger Gustave Richebé, was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was born in Marseille and died in Ville-d'Avray. Selected filmography * ' (1930) (producer) * '' La donn ...

(1939, based on the novel ''La Tradition de minuit'') *''

Marguerite de la nuit ''Marguerite de la nuit'' (US title: ''Marguerite of the Night'') is a 1955 French language motion picture fantasy drama directed by Claude Autant-Lara, and written by Ghislaine Autant-Lara (screenplay & dialogue) and Gabriel Arout (adaptation), ...

'', directed by

Claude Autant-Lara Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director, screenwriter, set designer and costume designer who worked in films for over 50 years. He made films characterised by bourgeois Realism (arts), realism, anti- ...

(1955, based on the novel ''Marguerite de la nuit'')

Screenwriter

*'' L'Inhumaine'', directed by

Marcel L'Herbier Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...

(1924) *', directed by

Georges Monca Georges Monca ( 23 October 1867 – 26 December 1939) was a French film director. He was extremely prolific, making nearly four hundred films during his career - mainly during the silent era. His shorts ''Rigadin Directeur de Cinéma'' and ''Riga ...

and

Maurice Kéroul Maurice Kéroul (1885–1976) was a French journalist, screenwriter and film director. He frequently collaborated with Georges Monca.Rège p.737 He was the son of the playwright Henri Kéroul. Selected filmography * ''The Irony of Fate ''T ...

(1937) * ''

Voyage Without Hope ''Voyage Without Hope'' (French: ''Voyage sans espoir'') is a 1943 French crime drama film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Simone Renant, Jean Marais and Paul Bernard. It is a remake of the 1931 film '' The Lovers of Midnight''. It was s ...

'', directed by

Christian-Jaque Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), ''M ...

(1943) *''

François Villon François Villon (; Modern French: ; ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these e ...

'', directed by

André Zwoboda André Zwoboda (1910–1994) was a French screenwriter, producer and film director.Rège p.476 Selected filmography Director * ''Life Belongs to Us'' (1936) * ''Sideral Cruises'' (1942) *'' Farandole'' (1945) * ''François Villon François ...

(1945)

References

External links

* Alexis Lykiard
"Mac Orlan"
(brief biography) *Andy Merrifielod
"The Strange Odyssey of Pierre Mac Orlan"
The Brooklyn Rail, 1 September 2004. Notes on Mac Orlan by Guy Debord biographer

Bureau of Public Secrets, References to Mac Orlan's popular songs *Pierre Mac Orlan, James Russell, Neil Phili

"Boutiques"], Mainstone Press, London 2022. A translation of Pierre Mac Orlan's 1925 book ''Boutiques'' (trans. by Shaun Whiteside) with illustrations by Lucien Boucher and essays and text by Andrew Stewart, James Russell and Neil Philip. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Orlan, Pierre 1882 births 1970 deaths People from Péronne, Somme Writers from Hauts-de-France 20th-century French male writers 20th-century French songwriters 20th-century French novelists French male novelists French male songwriters People of Montmartre French military personnel of World War I