Jean Hougron
Encyclopedia
Jean Hougron, French novelist (1923 - 2000)
Jean Hougron is a French novelist born in 1923 and deceased in 2000. He is famous for his series of novels which occur in French Indochina in the 20th century, where he resided and travelled for several years. Several of these novels are collected in a series named "La Nuit Indochinoise" (The Indochina Night) and include several best sellers, starting with "Tu récolteras la tempête" ("Reap the Wirlwind", 1950).
Jean Hougron was born on July 1st 1923 in a French Breton family in Calvados
, a north-western France "Departement" between Normandy and Brittany. He began his professional life as a teacher of English and sciences in north western towns, then moved south to Marseille to work for one year with an Import-Export trading firm. This firm then sent him to Indochina
in June 1947. From there on, he exercised several trades, travelling across Indochina, including Vietnam
, Laos
, Cambodia
, Thailand
and Southern China
, while learning to speak some of the regional languages.In 1949, he returned to Saigon, Vietnam, where he worked at the US Consulate and then at Radio France
Asie, the Asian branch of the French State owned radio broadcasting corporation. He returned to France in 1951.
From these years in Indochina
, he came with many anecdotes, observations and souvenirs, which he used to write novels, starting with "Tu récolteras la tempête" ("You will gather a storm", 1950). He succcessively published several novels , mostly based in Indochina, which met great success, especially the series of novels collectively titled "La Nuit Indochinoise" collection. In 1953, he was awarded the Grand Prix du Roman de l'Académie française
(French Academy Novel prize) for these books.
Jean Hougron novels are not focused on political subjects, such as on the French Indochina colony and the decolonization movement in South Asia
during or after World War II and the beginning of the First Indochina War
, but rather on studies of atmosphere, climate, landscape, characters and human relations. He has been sometimes called "The French Joseph Conrad
". Several of his books have been translated and published in English and other languages.
He continued writing novels, which were often best sellers and some of which were made into movies ("Je reviendrai à Kandara", directed by Victor Vicas (1956), and "Mort en Fraude", directed by Marcel Camus (1957).
Jean Hougron died in 2000. While the context of his books is dated, some of them, especially the Nuit Indochinoise series, have been re-edited regularly and he has retained a steady readership.
Books written by Jean Hougron (French original editions and re-editions):
Tu récolteras la tempête (La Nuit indochinoise, I), Domat, 1951 (1st éd. 1950)
Rage blanche (La Nuit indochinoise, II), Le Club français du livre, 1952 (1st éd. 1951)
Rage blanche (La Nuit indochinoise, II), Domat, 1953 (1st éd. 1951)
Mort en fraude (La Nuit indochinoise, IV), Del Duca, 1958 (1st éd. 1953)
Soleil au ventre, Éditions mondiales, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1960 (1st éd. 1952)
Tu récolteras la tempête, Domat, coll. "Le livre de poche", 1960 (1st éd. 1950)
Par qui le scandale, Del Duca, 1960
Mort en fraude, Club de la femme, coll. "Bibliothèque du club de la femme", 1961 (1st éd. 1953)
Mort en fraude, Le livre de poche, 1961 (1re éd. 1953)
Rage blanche, Éditions mondiales, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1961 (1st éd. 1951)
Les Asiates, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1962 (1st éd. 1954)
La Terre du barbare, le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1963 (1st éd. 1958)
Tu récolteras la tempête, le Livre de poche, 1963 (1st éd. 1950) [2]
Rage blanche, Le livre de poche, 1964 (1st éd. 1951), (ISBN 2-253-00838-9)
Les Portes de l'aventure, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1964 (1st éd. 1954)
Je reviendrai à Kandara, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1965 (1st éd. 1955)
Par qui le scandale, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1966 [3]
Mort en fraude, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1967 (1st éd. 1953)
Soleil au ventre, le Livre de poche, 1967 (1st éd. 1952) [4]
Je reviendrai à Kandara, le Club de la femme, coll. "Bibliothèque du club de la femme", 1968 (1st éd. 1955)
Tu récolteras la tempête, Del Duca - Plon, 1969 (1st éd. 1950)
Soleil au ventre, Del Duca - Plon, 1969 (1st éd. 1952)
Mort en fraude, Del Duca - Plon, 1970 (1st éd. 1953)
Soleil au ventre, Éditions de Crémille, coll. "Les Grands romans de guerre", 1970 (1st éd. 1952)
La Gueule pleine de dents, Le Cercle du nouveau livre, 1970 (1st éd. 1970) (Postface by Jacques Robichon)
Les Portes de l'aventure, Del Duca - plon, 1970 (1st éd. 1954)
Les Asiates, Del Duca - Plon, 1971 (1st éd. 1954)
Les Humiliés, le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche, Pluriel", 1971 (1st éd. 1965)
La Terre du barbare, Del Duca - Plon, 1973 (1st éd. 1958)
Histoire de Georges Guersant, Plon, 1974 (1st éd. 1964)
La Gueule pleine de dents, le Livre de Paris, coll. "Club pour vous Hachette", 1974 (1st éd. 1970), (ISBN 2-245-00095-1)
La Gueule pleine de dents, Presses pocket, coll. "Presses pocket", 1975 (1st éd. 1970)
Mort en fraude, le Livre de poche, coll; "Le livre de poche", 1975, (1st éd. 1953), (ISBN 2-253-00980-6) [5]
L'Homme de proie, France loisirs, 1974 (1st éd. 1974)
Histoire de Georges Guersant, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1980, (1st éd. 1964), (ISBN 2-253-02460-0)
Les Portes de l'aventure, Presses Pocket, coll. "Presses Pocket", 1980 (1st éd. 1954) (ISBN 2-266-00874-9)
Le Signe du chien, Denoël, coll. "Présence du futur", n°44, 1981 (1st éd. 1960)
La Gueule pleine de dents, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1982 (1st éd. 1970)
Coup de soleil, Le Grand livre du mois, 1984 (ISBN 2-01-010362-9)
La Chambre, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1984 (1st éd. 1982) (ISBN 2-253-03542-4)
Coup de soleil, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1985 (1st éd. 1984) (ISBN 2-253-03810-5)
Beauté chinoise, Éditions de la Seine, coll. "Succès du livre", 1987 (1st éd. 1987)
Beauté chinoise, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1988, (1st éd. 1987) (ISBN 2-253-04787-2)
Tu récolteras la tempête, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1989, (1st éd. 1950) (ISBN 2-253-01354-4)
Les Asiates, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche",1989, (1st éd. 1954) (ISBN 2-253-00128-7) [6]
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Tu récolteras la tempête, Soleil au ventre, Rage blanche), R. Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 1989 (ISBN ISBN 2-221-05871-2)
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Mort en fraude, Les Portes de l'aventure, Les Asiates, La Terre du barbare), Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 1989, (ISBN 2-221-05885-2)
Le Naguen, Éd. J'ai lu, coll. "J'ai lu. SF", 1995, (1st éd. 1980), (ISBN 2-277-24005-2)
Le Signe du chien, Denoël, coll. "Présence du futur", 1995, (1st éd. 1960), (ISBN 2-207-50044-6) [7]
Le Naguen, J'ai lu, coll. "J'ai lu", 1999, (1re éd. 1980), (ISBN 2-277-24005-2) [8]
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Tu récolteras la tempête, Soleil au ventre, Rage blanche), Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 2004, (ISBN 2-221-10190-1)
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Mort en fraude, les Portes de l'aventure, Les Asiates, La Terre du barbare), Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 2006, (ISBN 2-221-05885-2) [9]
Jean Hougron is a French novelist born in 1923 and deceased in 2000. He is famous for his series of novels which occur in French Indochina in the 20th century, where he resided and travelled for several years. Several of these novels are collected in a series named "La Nuit Indochinoise" (The Indochina Night) and include several best sellers, starting with "Tu récolteras la tempête" ("Reap the Wirlwind", 1950).
Jean Hougron was born on July 1st 1923 in a French Breton family in Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
, a north-western France "Departement" between Normandy and Brittany. He began his professional life as a teacher of English and sciences in north western towns, then moved south to Marseille to work for one year with an Import-Export trading firm. This firm then sent him to Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
in June 1947. From there on, he exercised several trades, travelling across Indochina, including Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, while learning to speak some of the regional languages.In 1949, he returned to Saigon, Vietnam, where he worked at the US Consulate and then at Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
Asie, the Asian branch of the French State owned radio broadcasting corporation. He returned to France in 1951.
From these years in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
, he came with many anecdotes, observations and souvenirs, which he used to write novels, starting with "Tu récolteras la tempête" ("You will gather a storm", 1950). He succcessively published several novels , mostly based in Indochina, which met great success, especially the series of novels collectively titled "La Nuit Indochinoise" collection. In 1953, he was awarded the Grand Prix du Roman de l'Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
(French Academy Novel prize) for these books.
Jean Hougron novels are not focused on political subjects, such as on the French Indochina colony and the decolonization movement in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
during or after World War II and the beginning of the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
, but rather on studies of atmosphere, climate, landscape, characters and human relations. He has been sometimes called "The French Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
". Several of his books have been translated and published in English and other languages.
He continued writing novels, which were often best sellers and some of which were made into movies ("Je reviendrai à Kandara", directed by Victor Vicas (1956), and "Mort en Fraude", directed by Marcel Camus (1957).
Jean Hougron died in 2000. While the context of his books is dated, some of them, especially the Nuit Indochinoise series, have been re-edited regularly and he has retained a steady readership.
Books written by Jean Hougron (French original editions and re-editions):
Tu récolteras la tempête (La Nuit indochinoise, I), Domat, 1951 (1st éd. 1950)
Rage blanche (La Nuit indochinoise, II), Le Club français du livre, 1952 (1st éd. 1951)
Rage blanche (La Nuit indochinoise, II), Domat, 1953 (1st éd. 1951)
Mort en fraude (La Nuit indochinoise, IV), Del Duca, 1958 (1st éd. 1953)
Soleil au ventre, Éditions mondiales, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1960 (1st éd. 1952)
Tu récolteras la tempête, Domat, coll. "Le livre de poche", 1960 (1st éd. 1950)
Par qui le scandale, Del Duca, 1960
Mort en fraude, Club de la femme, coll. "Bibliothèque du club de la femme", 1961 (1st éd. 1953)
Mort en fraude, Le livre de poche, 1961 (1re éd. 1953)
Rage blanche, Éditions mondiales, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1961 (1st éd. 1951)
Les Asiates, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1962 (1st éd. 1954)
La Terre du barbare, le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1963 (1st éd. 1958)
Tu récolteras la tempête, le Livre de poche, 1963 (1st éd. 1950) [2]
Rage blanche, Le livre de poche, 1964 (1st éd. 1951), (ISBN 2-253-00838-9)
Les Portes de l'aventure, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1964 (1st éd. 1954)
Je reviendrai à Kandara, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1965 (1st éd. 1955)
Par qui le scandale, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1966 [3]
Mort en fraude, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1967 (1st éd. 1953)
Soleil au ventre, le Livre de poche, 1967 (1st éd. 1952) [4]
Je reviendrai à Kandara, le Club de la femme, coll. "Bibliothèque du club de la femme", 1968 (1st éd. 1955)
Tu récolteras la tempête, Del Duca - Plon, 1969 (1st éd. 1950)
Soleil au ventre, Del Duca - Plon, 1969 (1st éd. 1952)
Mort en fraude, Del Duca - Plon, 1970 (1st éd. 1953)
Soleil au ventre, Éditions de Crémille, coll. "Les Grands romans de guerre", 1970 (1st éd. 1952)
La Gueule pleine de dents, Le Cercle du nouveau livre, 1970 (1st éd. 1970) (Postface by Jacques Robichon)
Les Portes de l'aventure, Del Duca - plon, 1970 (1st éd. 1954)
Les Asiates, Del Duca - Plon, 1971 (1st éd. 1954)
Les Humiliés, le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche, Pluriel", 1971 (1st éd. 1965)
La Terre du barbare, Del Duca - Plon, 1973 (1st éd. 1958)
Histoire de Georges Guersant, Plon, 1974 (1st éd. 1964)
La Gueule pleine de dents, le Livre de Paris, coll. "Club pour vous Hachette", 1974 (1st éd. 1970), (ISBN 2-245-00095-1)
La Gueule pleine de dents, Presses pocket, coll. "Presses pocket", 1975 (1st éd. 1970)
Mort en fraude, le Livre de poche, coll; "Le livre de poche", 1975, (1st éd. 1953), (ISBN 2-253-00980-6) [5]
L'Homme de proie, France loisirs, 1974 (1st éd. 1974)
Histoire de Georges Guersant, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1980, (1st éd. 1964), (ISBN 2-253-02460-0)
Les Portes de l'aventure, Presses Pocket, coll. "Presses Pocket", 1980 (1st éd. 1954) (ISBN 2-266-00874-9)
Le Signe du chien, Denoël, coll. "Présence du futur", n°44, 1981 (1st éd. 1960)
La Gueule pleine de dents, Le Livre de poche, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1982 (1st éd. 1970)
Coup de soleil, Le Grand livre du mois, 1984 (ISBN 2-01-010362-9)
La Chambre, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1984 (1st éd. 1982) (ISBN 2-253-03542-4)
Coup de soleil, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1985 (1st éd. 1984) (ISBN 2-253-03810-5)
Beauté chinoise, Éditions de la Seine, coll. "Succès du livre", 1987 (1st éd. 1987)
Beauté chinoise, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1988, (1st éd. 1987) (ISBN 2-253-04787-2)
Tu récolteras la tempête, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche", 1989, (1st éd. 1950) (ISBN 2-253-01354-4)
Les Asiates, Librairie générale française, coll. "Le Livre de poche",1989, (1st éd. 1954) (ISBN 2-253-00128-7) [6]
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Tu récolteras la tempête, Soleil au ventre, Rage blanche), R. Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 1989 (ISBN ISBN 2-221-05871-2)
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Mort en fraude, Les Portes de l'aventure, Les Asiates, La Terre du barbare), Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 1989, (ISBN 2-221-05885-2)
Le Naguen, Éd. J'ai lu, coll. "J'ai lu. SF", 1995, (1st éd. 1980), (ISBN 2-277-24005-2)
Le Signe du chien, Denoël, coll. "Présence du futur", 1995, (1st éd. 1960), (ISBN 2-207-50044-6) [7]
Le Naguen, J'ai lu, coll. "J'ai lu", 1999, (1re éd. 1980), (ISBN 2-277-24005-2) [8]
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Tu récolteras la tempête, Soleil au ventre, Rage blanche), Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 2004, (ISBN 2-221-10190-1)
La Nuit indochinoise (includes: Mort en fraude, les Portes de l'aventure, Les Asiates, La Terre du barbare), Laffont, coll. "Bouquins", 2006, (ISBN 2-221-05885-2) [9]