Julien Serge Doubrovsky (22 May 1928 – 23 March 2017) was a French writer and 1989

Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis () is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and .

winner for '' Le Livre brisé''. He is also a critical theorist, and coined the term " autofiction" in the drafts for his novel ''Fils'' (1977).

Early life

Julien Doubrovsky was born on 22 May 1928 in Paris. His father was a tailor and his mother was a secretary. His family was Jewish; in 1943, in the midst 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 ...

, they fled

Le Vésinet Le Vésinet () is a suburban Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of western Paris, from ...

and hid with a cousin. Doubrovsky graduated from the

École normale supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

, and he earned the agrégation in English in 1949. He subsequently earned a PhD in French Literature.

Career

Doubrovsky became a professor of French Literature at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1966. He subsequently taught at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

, and

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

. He retired in 2010. Along with publishing seven volumes of autobiography, he was known as a critical theorist.University of Leicester
/ref> He coined the term ' autofiction', which has now entered the French dictionary.

Death

Doubrovsky resided in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. He died on 23 March 2017 in Boulogne-Billancourt .

Bibliography

*''Le jour S'', 1963. *''Corneille et la Dialectique du héros'', 1963. *''Pourquoi la nouvelle critique : critique et objectivité'', 1966. *''La Dispersion'', 1969. *''La place de la madeleine : écriture et fantasme chez Proust'',

Mercure de France The () was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group. The gazette was publis ...

1974. *''Fils'', 1977. *''Parcours critique'', 1980. *''Un amour de soi'', 1982. *''La vie l'instant'', 1985. *''Autobiographiques : de Corneille à Sartre'', 1988. *''Le livre brisé'', 1989. *''L'après-vivre'' 1994. *''Laissé pour conte'', 1999. *''Parcours critique 2'', 2006 *''Un homme de passage'', 2011.

References

1928 births 2017 deaths Jewish French writers Writers from Paris École Normale Supérieure alumni 20th-century French novelists 21st-century French novelists New York University faculty Prix Médicis winners French male novelists French literary critics 20th-century French Jews 20th-century French male writers 21st-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers {{France-academic-bio-stub