Benjamin Crémieux

Benjamin Crémieux (1888–1944) was a French author, critic and literary historian.

Dr

Benjamin Crémieux
Born1 December 1888
Narbonne, France
Died14 April 1944
Buchenwald concentration camp, Germany
EducationSorbonne, PhD, 1928
Occupation(s)Writer, Critic

Early life

Crémieux was born to a Jewish family in Narbonne, France in 1888.[1] His family had long ties in the region, having 'settled in France as early as the 14th century'.[2]:452

Military service

He fought in World War I during his obligatory military service in the French Army and was severely wounded during battle.[1][2]:452 After the war he focused on studying Italian literature and history.[2]:452

Career

Crémieux contributed to a variety of literary magazines and journals, including La Gazette du Franc,[3]:270 and the influential literary journal Nouvelle Revue Française (NRF). He started writing for the NRF in 1920 and Jean Paulhan invited him to be a member of the journal's editorial committee as early as 1926.[4][5][6]:22

In 1928 he defended his doctoral thesis Essai Sur l'évolution littéraire de l'Italie de 1870 á nos jours at the Sorbonne, which was published later that year.[7]:41 He published one of his most important texts in 1931, Inquiétude et Reconstruction, which provided a survey of French literature since the turn of the century.[8]:139

He also served in a variety of service roles. He was 'chief of the Italian bureau of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs'[7]:41 and the permanent secretary of the French section of the PEN Club.[8]:139

In 1940, Crémieux joined the French underground and became a leader of the Maquis.[1]

Death

In April 1943, two Gestapo agents detained Crémieux in Marseilles.[2]:458 He was arrested, imprisoned, and deported to Nazi Germany, where, in April 1944 he was executed in the Buchenwald concentration camp.[2]:458.

Legacy

Crémieux introduced a number of important literary figures to the French public through his translations, including Luigi Pirandello and Italo Svevo;[8]:138 he was also an early champion of the works of Marcel Proust.[7]

References
  1. "Benjamin Crémieux". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  2. Braun, Sidney D. 1987. "Benjamin Crémieux: Jew and Frenchman." Judaism 36 (4) (Fall): 451. ProQuest 1304358030.
  3. Jannarone, Kimberly (2005). "The Theatre before Its Double: Artaud Directs in the Alfred Jarry Theatre". Theatre Survey. 46 (2): 247–273. doi:10.1017/S0040557405000153. ISSN 1475-4533. S2CID 194096618.
  4. "Benjamin Crémieux - Site Gallimard". www.gallimard.fr. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  5. "En Toutes Lettres: Cent Ans de Littérature à La Nouvelle Revue Française". Paris Update. 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  6. Cornick, Martyn (1995). Intellectuals in History: The Nouvelle Revue Française Under Jean Paulhan, 1925-1940. Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-5183-797-1.
  7. Wellek, René (1955-01-01). A History of Modern Criticism, 1750-1950. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-05451-4.
  8. Eustis, Alvin (1974). "Rivière's Crew: Crémieux, Fernandez, Arland". L'Esprit Créateur. 14 (2): 138–145. ISSN 0014-0767. JSTOR 26279754.
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