Christian Jacq
Christian Jacq is a French author and Egyptologist, born on April 28, 1947, in Paris. His passion for ancient Egypt was ignited at a young age after reading Jacques Pirenne's work on Egyptian civilization, leading him to pursue extensive studies in the field and earn multiple degrees from the Sorbonne. Although he began writing nonfiction about ancient Egypt early in his career, Jacq achieved significant acclaim with his historical novels, particularly the five-volume series on Pharaoh Ramses II and his historical detective trilogy featuring the character Pazair. His works blend elements of history, magic, and fantasy, contributing to a renewed interest in Egyptian culture and tourism. Jacq's writing, while sometimes criticized for its sensationalism, successfully captivates readers with its engaging storytelling. He has also authored nonfiction texts and founded the Ramses Institute to promote the documentation of Egyptian archaeological sites. Recognized for his contributions to literature and culture, Jacq has received several awards from both French and Egyptian institutions. His unique approach has ensured a lasting fascination with ancient Egypt in contemporary literature.
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Subject Terms
Christian Jacq
Author
- Born: April 28, 1947
- Place of Birth: Paris, France
Biography
Christian Jacq was born in Paris on April 28, 1947, the son of Eugène Jacq, a pharmacist, and Tèocadia (Pilarski) Jacq. When he was thirteen, he read the work that would fire his scholarly and imaginative life: The History of Ancient Egyptian Civilization by Jacques Pirenne. Eight years later, he published the first of a series of nonfiction works on ancient Egypt. He simultaneously decided to make Egypt the focus of his academic life, eventually receiving his BA, MA, and PhD in Egyptology from the Sorbonne.
From 1979 to 1983, Jacq was a radio producer for France-Culture, and he was literary director for Group de la Cité from 1983 to 1988. In 1981, his nonfiction work about ancient Egypt, L’Égypte des grands pharoans, was given an award by the Académie Française. Although he had been writing novels since reading Pirenne, his first great success came at the age of forty with the publication of Champollion l’Egyptien (1987; Champollion the Egyptian, 2002). In 1992 he was awarded the Prix des Maisons de la Presse for L’Affaire Toutankhamon (1992; The Tutankamen Affair, 2003). A historical detective trilogy about the Egyptian judge Pazair, Le Judge d’Égypte, was a best-seller, paving the way for his greatest success, a five-volume fictional biography of pharaoh Ramses II, a blend of history, magic, and fantasy, in which Moses, Homer, and Helen of Troy make guest appearances. The subsequent two-fold increase in the number of French tourists to Egypt was attributed to Jacq’s popularity. A series of novels about the creators and guardians of the Egyptian tombs, La Pierre de lumière (The Stone of Light), also proved successful. His Mozart series, beginning with The Great Magician (2008), combined Egyptian history and myth with the life of the composer and was also well received by readers.
Under the pen name B. J. Livingstone, Jacq has published a series of detective novels, Dossiers de Scotland Yard. Jacq is an officier des artes et lettres, and the cities of Paris and Luxor, Egypt, have given him awards. In 1986, Jacq and his wife founded the Ramses Institute, an organization that documents and photographs Egyptian archaeological sites. He has also published several nonfiction books about ancient Egypt, including Magic and Mystery in Ancient Egypt (1998), The Wisdom of Ptah Hotep (2006), and Egypt: A View from Above (2010). Jacq shares in the romantic fascination that France has held for Egpyt ever since Napoleon I’s troops found the Rosetta Stone. While his novels have been criticized as overheated popularizations, Jacq has undoubtedly created his own blend of historical accuracy and plausible fantasy, a surefire combination that has led to the periodic worldwide fascination with ancient Egypt as a fictional locale.
Bibliography
"Biography." Christian Jacq Offical Website, 2024, christianjacq.fr/biographie.html. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
"Christian Jacq." Fantastic Fiction, 2024, www.fantasticfiction.com/j/christian-jacq/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
"Christian Jacq." XO Editions, www.xoeditions.com/en/auteurs/christian-jacq-en/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.