Jean d'Ormesson

Template:Short description Template:Infobox writer Jean Bruno Wladimir François-de-Paule Lefèvre d'Ormesson (Template:IPA; 16 June 1925 – 5 December 2017) was a French writer and novelist. He authored forty books, was the director of Le Figaro from 1974 to 1977, as well as the dean of the Académie Française, to which he was elected in 1973, until his death, in addition to his service as president of the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences within UNESCO (1992–1997). A major public figure in France, known for his art de la conversation, Jean d'Ormesson was saluted as "the best of the French spirit" by President Emmanuel Macron upon his death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Early life

Jean d'Ormesson was born on 16 June 1925 in Paris<ref name="academiefrancaisejeandormesson">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="washpostobit">Template:Cite news</ref> into an aristocratic family; he was a count.<ref name="lemondeunfamilier">Template:Cite news</ref> His father, André Lefèvre, Marquis of Ormesson, was the French ambassador to Brazil.<ref name="france24obit"/>

D'Ormesson grew up in Bavaria, Romania and Brazil.<ref name="france24obit">Template:Cite news</ref> He also spent time at the Château de Saint-Fargeau.<ref name="lefiglecrivainjean">Template:Cite news</ref> He was raised as a Roman Catholic, and later called himself a secular Catholic, but not an atheist.<ref name="lacroixobit">Template:Cite news</ref>

D'Ormesson attended preparatory school at the Lycée Henri-IV,<ref name="valeursactuelleslafabrique">Template:Cite news</ref> and he was admitted to the École normale supérieure; he subsequently passed the agrégation in Philosophy.<ref name="academiefrancaisejeandormesson"/><ref name="france24obit"/>

Career

D'Ormesson was the author of more than forty books,<ref name="valeursactuelleslafrancepleure">Template:Cite news</ref> including novels and plays.<ref name="lefiglecrivainjean"/> His first novels, L'amour est un plaisir, Un amour pour rien, Les illusions de la mer, were unsuccessful.<ref name="lefiglecrivainjean"/> His The Glory of the Empire received the Grand Prix du roman from the Académie française in 1971.<ref name="lefiglecrivainjean"/> His next novel, Au plaisir de Dieu, was made into a television film.<ref name="lefiglecrivainjean"/> His work was published in Bibliothèque de la Pléiade in 2015,<ref name="radiovaticanobit">Template:Cite news</ref> while he was still alive.<ref name="valeursactuelleslafrancepleure"/>

D'Ormesson became Secretary-General of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies at UNESCO,<ref name="academiefrancaisejeandormesson"/> and the director of the conservative French newspaper Le Figaro from 1974 to 1979.<ref name="france24obit"/><ref name="valeursactuelleslafrancepleure"/> D'Ormesson self-identified as conservative.<ref name="lefigarohommededroite">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="challengesleraffinement">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 18 October 1973, d'Ormesson was elected a member of the Académie française, taking seat 12, following the death of Jules Romains, in 1973.<ref name="academiefrancaisejeandormesson"/> On the death of Claude Lévi-Strauss on 30 October 2009, he became the Dean of the Académie, its longest-serving member.<ref name="france24obit"/>

D'Ormesson was a Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and an officer of the National Order of Merit.<ref name="academiefrancaisejeandormesson"/> In 2010, he was awarded the Ovid Prize, Romania, in recognition of his body of work.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life and death

D'Ormesson married Françoise Béghin in 1962.<ref name="leparisienquiest">Template:Cite news</ref> They had a daughter, Héloïse, an editor.<ref name="leparisienquiest"/>

On 5 December 2017, Jean d'Ormesson died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, at the age of 92.<ref name="washpostobit"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A national tribute was paid on 8 December 2017 in Les Invalides, where French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech; former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande were also in attendance.<ref name="lefigemmanuelmacronsalueen">Template:Cite news</ref>

Bibliography

• L'Amour est un plaisir (1956)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Du côté de chez Jean (1959)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Un amour pour rien (1960)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Au revoir et merci (1966)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Les Illusions de la mer (1968)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• La Gloire de l'Empire (1971)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> – Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
• Au plaisir de Dieu (1974)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Le Vagabond qui passe sous une ombrelle trouée (1978)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Dieu, sa vie, son œuvre (1981)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Mon dernier rêve sera pour vous (1982)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Jean qui grogne et Jean qui rit (1984)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Le Vent du soir (1985)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Tous les hommes en sont fous (1985)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Le Bonheur à San Miniato (1987)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Album Chateaubriand (1988)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> – Bibliothèque de la Pléiade
• Garçon de quoi écrire (with François Sudreau, 1989)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Histoire du juif errant (Wandering Jew story) (1991)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Tant que vous penserez à moi (with Emmanuel Berl, 1992)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• La Douane de mer (1994)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Presque rien sur presque tout (1995)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Casimir mène la grande vie (1997)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Une autre histoire de la littérature française (vol. I, 1997 & vol. II, 1998)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Le Rapport Gabriel (1999)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Voyez comme on danse (2001)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• C'était bien (2003)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Et toi, mon cœur, pourquoi bats-tu? (2003)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Une fête en larmes (2005)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• La Création du monde (2006)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Odeur du temps (2007)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Qu'ai-je donc fait (2008)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• L'enfant qui attendait un train (2009)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Saveur du temps (2009)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• C'est une chose étrange à la fin que le monde (2010)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Un jour je m'en irai sans en avoir tout dit (2013)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Comme un chant d'espérance (2014)
• Dieu, les affaires et nous (2015)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Je dirai malgré tout que cette vie fut belle (2016) – Prix Jean-Jacques-Rousseau
• Le guide des égarés (2016)
• Et moi, je vis toujours (2018)
• Un Hosanna sans fin (2018)

Filmography

• 2012: Les saveurs du Palais (also known as Haute Cuisine) as Le Président, directed by Christian Vincent
• 2018: Michel Déon ou la force de l'amitié directed by Jérémie Carboni (documentary)

External links

• List of novels by Jean d'Ormesson on the Académie française web site.