Jean Cayrol
Jean Cayrol was a prominent French writer born in Bordeaux, known for his diverse contributions to literature, including poetry, essays, novels, and screenplays. He began writing in his teenage years and co-founded a literary journal at just sixteen. After an unsuccessful pursuit of a law degree, he fully dedicated himself to writing. His experiences during World War II, particularly his involvement in the French Resistance and subsequent deportation to the Mauthausen concentration camp, profoundly influenced his work, notably in his poetry collection "Poèmes de la nuit et du brouillard," published in 1946. Cayrol's literary acclaim includes the Prix Renaudot in 1947 for his novel "Je vivrai l'amour des autres" and the Grand Prix of Monaco in 1968 for his overall contributions. He advocated for a deep engagement with contemporary social and economic issues, urging readers to confront the complexities of human experience. Cayrol passed away in February 2005, shortly after his ninety-fourth birthday, leaving behind a legacy that emphasizes remembrance and the importance of addressing historical trauma.
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Subject Terms
Jean Cayrol
Poet
- Born: June 6, 1911
- Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
- Died: February 17, 2005
Biography
Born in Bordeaux, Jean Cayrol began writing in adolescence. After failing in his study toward a doctorate in law, Cayrol dedicated himself completely to the literary art. At age sixteen, he cofounded a literary journal. During World War II, he joined the French Resistance, but was later arrested and deported in 1942 to the concentration camp at Mauthausen. These experiences formed the background for one of his books of poetry, Poèmes de la nuit et du brouillard (poems of night and fog), published in 1946.
Also an essayist, editor, screenwriter and novelist, Cayrol received the Prix Renaudot in 1947 for the novel Je vivrai l’amour des autres (I will live the love of others), the literary Grand Prix of Monaco in 1968 for the totality of his work, and the Prix international du Souvenir in 1969. Throughout his writing career, Cayrol exhorted readers to immerse themselves in all the social and economic phenomena of their day, events that elicit the full range of human emotion. He died in Bordeaux, the city of his birth, in February, 2005, a few months after his ninety-fourth birthday, having survived many of the horrors the twentieth century could produce. He had chosen to remember and to speak instead of forgetting.