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Robert Merle

May 04, 2023

Robert Merle (French: [mɛʁl]; 28 August 1908 – 27 March 2004) was a French novelist.[1]

Robert Merle
Merle in 1964
Born(1908-08-28)28 August 1908
Tébessa, French Algeria
Died27 March 2004(2004-03-27) (aged 95)
Montfort-l'Amaury, France
OccupationNovelist
NationalityFrench
Period1949–2003
Notable awardsPrix Goncourt

Early life

Merle was born in 1908 in Tébessa, French Algeria. His father Félix, who was an interpreter "with a perfect knowledge of literary and spoken Arabic", was killed in 1916 in the Dardanelles. Young Merle and his mother moved to Paris, where he attended three lycées and the Sorbonne.[2][3]

Career

Academia and World War II

Merle was professor of English Literature at several universities until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. During the war, Merle was conscripted into the French army and assigned as an interpreter to the British Expeditionary Force. In 1940, he was in the Dunkirk evacuation on the beach of Zuydcoote — which he called a "blind and abominable lottery" — and was captured by the Germans. Merle was taken prisoner to Stalag VID at Dortmund, and escaped, but was recaptured at Belgian customs. He was repatriated in July 1943, and after the war was awarded the Croix du Combattant.[2][3]

Writing

Merle used his experiences at Dunkirk in his 1949 novel Week-end at Zuydcoote, which became a "sensational success" and won the Prix Goncourt. A 1964 feature film adaptation, Weekend at Dunkirk, was directed by Henri Verneuil and starred Jean-Paul Belmondo. It was a box office hit and made both men famous.[2][3]

Merle's 1967 novel Un animal doué de raison (lit. A Sentient Animal), a stark Cold War satire inspired by John Lilly's studies of dolphins and the Caribbean Crisis, was translated into English and filmed as The Day of the Dolphin (1973) starring George C. Scott.[4] Merle's post-apocalyptic novel Malevil (1972) was also adapted into a 1981 film.[2] His 1952 novel La mort est mon métier was adapted into a 1977 film, his 1962 novel L'île was filmed as a 1987 miniseries and Le propre de l'homme (1989) was adapted into a 1996 TV movie.

Among Merle's other works are the 1950 play Flamineo, based on John Webster's The White Devil, the 1948 biography Oscar Wilde (extended in 1955 as Oscar Wilde, or The Destiny of Homosexuality), and various translations including Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. In 1965 Merle wrote Moncada: premier combat de Fidel Castro and Ahmed Ben Bella, and around this time translated the diaries of Che Guevara. Until the invasion of Afghanistan by the Red Army, Merle was a sympathizer of the French Communist Party.[2] He said:

I was just a minor militant, and my fellow Reds did not approve of what I wrote. As for the student riots of May 1968, I never believed in the reality of that revolution. The only thing of value that came out of it was the liberation of sexual relationships.[2]

Merle's "major achievement" was his 13-book series of historical novels, Fortune de France (1977–2003), which recreate 16th and 17th century France through the eyes of a fictitious Protestant doctor turned spy. A "genuine scholar of language", Merle wrote the novels using many of the appropriate French speech rhythms and idioms of the historical period.[2][3][5] The series made Merle a household name in France, with the author repeatedly called the Alexandre Dumas of the 20th century.[3][6]

Personal life

Merle was married three times, and had four sons and two daughters. He died in 2004 at age 95 of a heart attack in Montfort-l'Amaury, France.[2][3][6]

Bibliography

  • Week-end à Zuydcoote (1949) - Published in the U.S. as Week-end at Zuydcoote (1950)
  • La mort est mon métier (1952) - Published in the UK as Death is my Trade (1954)
  • L'île (1962) - Published in the U.S. as The Island (1964)
  • Moncada, premier combat de Fidel Castro (1965)
  • Un animal doué de raison (1967) - Published in the U.S. as The Day of the Dolphin (1967)
  • Derrière la vitre (1970) - Published in the U.S. as Behind the Glass (1972)
  • Malevil (1972)
  • Les hommes protégés (1974) - Published in the U.S. as The Virility Factor (1977)
  • Madrapour (1976)
  • L'idole (1987) - Published in the U.S. as The Idol (1987)
  • Le jour ne se lève pas pour nous (1987)
  • Le propre de l'homme (1989)

Fortune de France series (1977-2003)

  1. Fortune de France (1977)
  2. En nos vertes années (1979)
  3. Paris ma bonne ville (1980)
  4. Le Prince que voilà (1982)
  5. La violente amour (1983)
  6. La Pique du jour (1985)
  7. La Volte des vertugadins (1991)
  8. L’Enfant-Roi (1993)
  9. Les Roses de la vie (1995)
  10. Le Lys et la Pourpre (1997)
  11. La Gloire et les Périls (1999)
  12. Complots et Cabales (2001)
  13. Le Glaive et les amours (2003) (English: Love and the Sword)

Reception

Kirkup called the Fortune de France series "spectacular" and dubbed it Merle's "major achievement".[2] Douglas Johnson of The Guardian described the author as "a master of the historical novel".[3] The series made Merle a household name in France, and he has been repeatedly called the Alexandre Dumas of the 20th century.[6][7] Le Monde dubbed Merle "France's greatest popular novelist", and Le Figaro observed, "Robert Merle is one of the very few French writers who have attained both popular success and the admiration of critics."[7]

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Allan Massie praised Merle's "thorough research, depth of understanding and popular touch", noting that "one of the strengths of Merle’s novels in his ability to evoke the feeling and texture of everyday life as well as high politics".[5] Massie compared the first novel in Merle's series to Maurice Druon's The Accursed Kings (Les Rois maudits), another famed French historical novel series, writing "There is a philosophical depth to the novel absent from Druon, for the Brethren are attracted to the Reformed Protestant (or Huguenot) faith ... Though not as gripping as The Accursed Kings, The Brethren never strays, as Druon sometimes does, into the grotesque. It has a credibly human solidity."[5] Toby Clements of The Telegraph wrote, "There are set-piece discussions on the dilemmas of faith that are informative if not the stuff of high drama, and passages on the history of France that can only be made sense of with the aid of a map and a memory for names. But elsewhere there is much colour, and, overall, The Brethren gives a salty and plausible idea of just how different, odd and parlous life might have been."[6]

As of 2014, Fortune de France had sold over five million copies in France.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Robert Merle, 95; Author's Book Inspired 'Day of the Dolphin'". Los Angeles Times. 2004-04-01. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kirkup, James (2 April 2004). . The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Johnson, Douglas (8 April 2004). "Obituary: Robert Merle". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  4. ^ "Robert Merle, 95, French writer - The Boston Globe". archive.boston.com. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  5. ^ a b c Massie, Allan (27 March 2015). "The Original Game of Thrones". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Clements, Toby (10 December 2014). "The Brethren by Robert Merle, review: 'a lively adventure'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Alberge, Dalya (16 August 2014). "Modern-day Dumas finally crosses Channel". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2015.

External links

May 04, 2023
robert, merle, french, mɛʁl, august, 1908, march, 2004, french, novelist, merle, 1964born, 1908, august, 1908tébessa, french, algeriadied27, march, 2004, 2004, aged, montfort, amaury, franceoccupationnovelistnationalityfrenchperiod1949, 2003notable, awardsprix. Robert Merle French mɛʁl 28 August 1908 27 March 2004 was a French novelist 1 Robert MerleMerle in 1964Born 1908 08 28 28 August 1908Tebessa French AlgeriaDied27 March 2004 2004 03 27 aged 95 Montfort l Amaury FranceOccupationNovelistNationalityFrenchPeriod1949 2003Notable awardsPrix Goncourt Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Academia and World War II 2 2 Writing 3 Personal life 4 Bibliography 4 1 Fortune de France series 1977 2003 5 Reception 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditMerle was born in 1908 in Tebessa French Algeria His father Felix who was an interpreter with a perfect knowledge of literary and spoken Arabic was killed in 1916 in the Dardanelles Young Merle and his mother moved to Paris where he attended three lycees and the Sorbonne 2 3 Career EditAcademia and World War II Edit Merle was professor of English Literature at several universities until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 During the war Merle was conscripted into the French army and assigned as an interpreter to the British Expeditionary Force In 1940 he was in the Dunkirk evacuation on the beach of Zuydcoote which he called a blind and abominable lottery and was captured by the Germans Merle was taken prisoner to Stalag VID at Dortmund and escaped but was recaptured at Belgian customs He was repatriated in July 1943 and after the war was awarded the Croix du Combattant 2 3 Writing Edit Merle used his experiences at Dunkirk in his 1949 novel Week end at Zuydcoote which became a sensational success and won the Prix Goncourt A 1964 feature film adaptation Weekend at Dunkirk was directed by Henri Verneuil and starred Jean Paul Belmondo It was a box office hit and made both men famous 2 3 Merle s 1967 novel Un animal doue de raison lit A Sentient Animal a stark Cold War satire inspired by John Lilly s studies of dolphins and the Caribbean Crisis was translated into English and filmed as The Day of the Dolphin 1973 starring George C Scott 4 Merle s post apocalyptic novel Malevil 1972 was also adapted into a 1981 film 2 His 1952 novel La mort est mon metier was adapted into a 1977 film his 1962 novel L ile was filmed as a 1987 miniseries and Le propre de l homme 1989 was adapted into a 1996 TV movie Among Merle s other works are the 1950 play Flamineo based on John Webster s The White Devil the 1948 biography Oscar Wilde extended in 1955 as Oscar Wilde or The Destiny of Homosexuality and various translations including Jonathan Swift s Gulliver s Travels In 1965 Merle wrote Moncada premier combat de Fidel Castro and Ahmed Ben Bella and around this time translated the diaries of Che Guevara Until the invasion of Afghanistan by the Red Army Merle was a sympathizer of the French Communist Party 2 He said I was just a minor militant and my fellow Reds did not approve of what I wrote As for the student riots of May 1968 I never believed in the reality of that revolution The only thing of value that came out of it was the liberation of sexual relationships 2 Merle s major achievement was his 13 book series of historical novels Fortune de France 1977 2003 which recreate 16th and 17th century France through the eyes of a fictitious Protestant doctor turned spy A genuine scholar of language Merle wrote the novels using many of the appropriate French speech rhythms and idioms of the historical period 2 3 5 The series made Merle a household name in France with the author repeatedly called the Alexandre Dumas of the 20th century 3 6 Personal life EditMerle was married three times and had four sons and two daughters He died in 2004 at age 95 of a heart attack in Montfort l Amaury France 2 3 6 Bibliography EditWeek end a Zuydcoote 1949 Published in the U S as Week end at Zuydcoote 1950 La mort est mon metier 1952 Published in the UK as Death is my Trade 1954 L ile 1962 Published in the U S as The Island 1964 Moncada premier combat de Fidel Castro 1965 Un animal doue de raison 1967 Published in the U S as The Day of the Dolphin 1967 Derriere la vitre 1970 Published in the U S as Behind the Glass 1972 Malevil 1972 Les hommes proteges 1974 Published in the U S as The Virility Factor 1977 Madrapour 1976 L idole 1987 Published in the U S as The Idol 1987 Le jour ne se leve pas pour nous 1987 Le propre de l homme 1989 Fortune de France series 1977 2003 Edit Fortune de France 1977 En nos vertes annees 1979 Paris ma bonne ville 1980 Le Prince que voila 1982 La violente amour 1983 La Pique du jour 1985 La Volte des vertugadins 1991 L Enfant Roi 1993 Les Roses de la vie 1995 Le Lys et la Pourpre 1997 La Gloire et les Perils 1999 Complots et Cabales 2001 Le Glaive et les amours 2003 English Love and the Sword Reception EditKirkup called the Fortune de France series spectacular and dubbed it Merle s major achievement 2 Douglas Johnson of The Guardian described the author as a master of the historical novel 3 The series made Merle a household name in France and he has been repeatedly called the Alexandre Dumas of the 20th century 6 7 Le Monde dubbed Merle France s greatest popular novelist and Le Figaro observed Robert Merle is one of the very few French writers who have attained both popular success and the admiration of critics 7 Writing for The Wall Street Journal Allan Massie praised Merle s thorough research depth of understanding and popular touch noting that one of the strengths of Merle s novels in his ability to evoke the feeling and texture of everyday life as well as high politics 5 Massie compared the first novel in Merle s series to Maurice Druon s The Accursed Kings Les Rois maudits another famed French historical novel series writing There is a philosophical depth to the novel absent from Druon for the Brethren are attracted to the Reformed Protestant or Huguenot faith Though not as gripping as The Accursed Kings The Brethren never strays as Druon sometimes does into the grotesque It has a credibly human solidity 5 Toby Clements of The Telegraph wrote There are set piece discussions on the dilemmas of faith that are informative if not the stuff of high drama and passages on the history of France that can only be made sense of with the aid of a map and a memory for names But elsewhere there is much colour and overall The Brethren gives a salty and plausible idea of just how different odd and parlous life might have been 6 As of 2014 Fortune de France had sold over five million copies in France 7 References Edit Robert Merle 95 Author s Book Inspired Day of the Dolphin Los Angeles Times 2004 04 01 Retrieved 2019 09 27 a b c d e f g h i Kirkup James 2 April 2004 Obituaries Robert Merle The Independent Archived from the original on 8 August 2011 Retrieved 3 August 2015 a b c d e f g Johnson Douglas 8 April 2004 Obituary Robert Merle The Guardian Retrieved 7 August 2015 Robert Merle 95 French writer The Boston Globe archive boston com Retrieved 2019 09 27 a b c Massie Allan 27 March 2015 The Original Game of Thrones The Wall Street Journal Retrieved 5 July 2015 a b c d Clements Toby 10 December 2014 The Brethren by Robert Merle review a lively adventure The Telegraph Retrieved 4 August 2015 a b c Alberge Dalya 16 August 2014 Modern day Dumas finally crosses Channel The Guardian Retrieved 4 August 2015 External links EditRobert Merle at IMDb Robert Merle at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Small picture Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Merle amp oldid 1152767918, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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