Maurice Constantin-Weyer
Encyclopedia
Maurice Constantin-Weyer (April 24, 1881, Bourbonne-les-Bains
, Haute-Marne
- October 22, 1964, Vichy
, Allier
) is a French writer. His best known novel is Un homme se penche sur son passé, Prix Goncourt
1928 (tr.: A Man Scans His Past,1929).
(Manitoba
) between 1904 and 1914 and this adventurous period fed a big part of his later work written in France between 1920 and 1950. Maurice Constantin-Weyer was a successful writer, best known for his novels of adventure: the most emblematic is Un homme se penche sur son passé (A man scans his past), which won the Prix Goncourt
in 1928, and whose action takes place in large areas of the Prairie
and northern Canada in the early twentieth century.
He returned to France in 1914 to fight in World War I
, where he was often wounded and decorated (Verdun
– Salonique...). After the war he became a journalist and published novels and biographies in France.
His original last name was only "Constantin"; he added the name of his second wife in 1920 and signed all his works Maurice Constantin-Weyer.
Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.-Spa:Bourbonne is a health resort due to hot springs. These thermal springs were known to the Gauls and to the Romans who built baths...
, Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne is a department in the northeast of France named after the Marne River.-History:Haute-Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
- October 22, 1964, Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
, Allier
Allier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
) is a French writer. His best known novel is Un homme se penche sur son passé, Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
1928 (tr.: A Man Scans His Past,1929).
Biography
A novelist, biographer and essayist, Constantin lived ten years in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
) between 1904 and 1914 and this adventurous period fed a big part of his later work written in France between 1920 and 1950. Maurice Constantin-Weyer was a successful writer, best known for his novels of adventure: the most emblematic is Un homme se penche sur son passé (A man scans his past), which won the Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
in 1928, and whose action takes place in large areas of the Prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
and northern Canada in the early twentieth century.
He returned to France in 1914 to fight in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where he was often wounded and decorated (Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
– Salonique...). After the war he became a journalist and published novels and biographies in France.
His original last name was only "Constantin"; he added the name of his second wife in 1920 and signed all his works Maurice Constantin-Weyer.