Pierre Béarn
Encyclopedia
Pierre Béarn was a French writer. He was born Louis-Gabriel Besnard in Bucharest
, Romania
.
He is known to Anglophones for his poem "Couleurs d'usine", which includes the line Métro boulot bistrots mégots dodo zéro (translation: "Subway work bars (cigarette) butts sleep nothing")
A multifaceted personality, at one time a journalist, novelist, poet, fabulist and humanist, at age nine Béarn began writing in French slang, his "natural" language.
His father having died prematurely, at the age of 14 he became a mechanic to financially support his mother. This working life inspired the poem from which came one of the May 1968 protest slogans "métro-boulot-dodo" ("subway-work-sleep") that denounced the shocking workers' conditions at the time.
While commanding a trawler to aid the French evacuations in 1940, he was captured and was detained in the concentration camp at Aintree
. His poems from that point onwards centred on the sea and the war.
After the war he took a post as a press attaché in Africa. In 1969, he created a quarterly magazine for himself alone: Le Lien (The Link). In 1975, he withdrew to Montlhéry
where the peace allowed him to write many fables.
In 1998, the first volume of his complete works was published: L'arc en ciel de ma vie (The rainbow of my life). This was followed in 1999 by volume 2, 300 fables d'aujourd'hui (300 fables of today). The third volume, Couleurs charnelles (Carnal colours), was released just months before his death on October 27, 2004, during his 103rd year.
While generally ignored by the wider public, Béarn received a number of literary prizes such as the Prix de Verlaine (1940), the Grand Prix International de Poésie awarded by General Charles de Gaulle
in 1971, the Grand prix de l'Académie française in 1981 and again in 1995 for his fables.
He also received the Médaille de la Résistance
for his participation in the Liberation of Paris
in 1944 and Légion d'honneur
in 1990 by François Mitterrand
. He was also named Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite
in 1995 by Jacques Chirac
and Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
in 2000, by the minister of Culture, Catherine Tasca
.
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
He is known to Anglophones for his poem "Couleurs d'usine", which includes the line Métro boulot bistrots mégots dodo zéro (translation: "Subway work bars (cigarette) butts sleep nothing")
A multifaceted personality, at one time a journalist, novelist, poet, fabulist and humanist, at age nine Béarn began writing in French slang, his "natural" language.
His father having died prematurely, at the age of 14 he became a mechanic to financially support his mother. This working life inspired the poem from which came one of the May 1968 protest slogans "métro-boulot-dodo" ("subway-work-sleep") that denounced the shocking workers' conditions at the time.
While commanding a trawler to aid the French evacuations in 1940, he was captured and was detained in the concentration camp at Aintree
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England....
. His poems from that point onwards centred on the sea and the war.
After the war he took a post as a press attaché in Africa. In 1969, he created a quarterly magazine for himself alone: Le Lien (The Link). In 1975, he withdrew to Montlhéry
Montlhéry
Montlhéry is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris.Inhabitants of Montlhéry are known as Montlhériens.-History:...
where the peace allowed him to write many fables.
In 1998, the first volume of his complete works was published: L'arc en ciel de ma vie (The rainbow of my life). This was followed in 1999 by volume 2, 300 fables d'aujourd'hui (300 fables of today). The third volume, Couleurs charnelles (Carnal colours), was released just months before his death on October 27, 2004, during his 103rd year.
While generally ignored by the wider public, Béarn received a number of literary prizes such as the Prix de Verlaine (1940), the Grand Prix International de Poésie awarded by General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
in 1971, the Grand prix de l'Académie française in 1981 and again in 1995 for his fables.
He also received the Médaille de la Résistance
Médaille de la Résistance
The French Médaille de la Résistance was awarded by General Charles de Gaulle "to recognise the remarkable acts of faith and of courage that, in France, in the empire and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and against its accomplices since June 18,...
for his participation in the Liberation of Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
in 1944 and Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1990 by François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
. He was also named Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
in 1995 by Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
and Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
in 2000, by the minister of Culture, Catherine Tasca
Catherine Tasca
Catherine Tasca is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Yvelines department. She is a member of the Socialist Party; she currently serves as the Senate's vice-president. From 2000 to 2002 she was Minister of Culture in France. She is the daughter of Angelo Tasca a former italian...
.