Jean Follain

Jean Follain, (Canisy (province of la Manche) 29 August 1903 – Paris 10 March 1971) was a French author, poet and corporate lawyer. [ [http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/lp-2001/intro/world.html The World's Lawyer Poets] ] [ [http://www.h-france.net/rude/2005conference/Adamson1.pdf Against the Amnesiacs: The Art Criticism of Jean Bazaine, 1934-1944] Paper by Natalie Adamson The George Rudé Society 2005 Conference Quote: "Bazaine, interview with Natalie Adamson, Clamart, 27 Jan. 2001. Bazaine was able to see documents detailing the corporatization reforms thanks to the poet Jean Follain, son-in-law of Maurice Denis who was designated president of the Comité d’études chargé des arts graphiques et plastiques until his firm withdrawal from the office"] In the early days of his career he was a member of the “Sagesse” group. [http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/manuscripts/mlc/follain/follain.html Washington University in St. Louis] ] Follain was a friend of Max Jacob, Andre Salmon, Jean Paulhan, Pierre Pussy, Armen Lubin, and Pierre Reverdy. He was a contributor to many journals, such as "La Nouvelle Revue française", "Commerce", "Europe", "Le Journal des Poètes" and "Les Cahiers des Saisons". In 1970, he was awarded the Grand Prize of Poetry from L'Académie française for his life's work. A small part of his archives is conserved at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Lô in France. [http://prixjeanfollain.free.fr/bio.htm prixjeanfollain] ] "Prix littéraire Jean Follain de la Ville de Saint Lô" is a literary award honouring his name and contributions to French literature. He studied law in Paris and became a judge. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20070614163933/http://kalin.lm.com/follain.html Jean Follain from the Internet Archive] ] He died in 1971 in a car accident. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0284314/bio imdb bio] ]

Life

Jean Follain was born in the small town of Canisy, south of Saint-Lo where he spent his childhood. He attended a college where his father was professor of the Natural Sciences. In 1919 he went to Leeds in a vain attempt to improve his English, and in 1921 he began studying law at Faculte de Caen. For health reasons he was exempted from military service.

In 1927 he passed his bar exams in Paris and started attending the meetings of the group "Sagesse" ("Wisdom") where he made the acquaintance of André Salmon, Pierre Reverdy, Pierre Mac Orlan and Max Jacob. In 1933 he published his first collection with Eugene Guillevic and Pierre Albert-Birot. In 1934 he married the daughter of the painter Maurice Denis. In 1939 he received the Mallarmé Prize. Jean Follain received the Prix Blumenthal in 1941, awarded to poets who refused to collaborate with the Vichy Government.

In 1951 he gave up his career as a business lawyer and was appointed to the post of judge (magistrate) of the High Court in Charleville. [ [http://www.ccic-cerisy.asso.fr/follainprg93.html LE MONDE DE JEAN FOLLAIN] Quote: "...son expérience de magistrat,.." Translation: "...his experience as magistrate..."] In 1949 he became a member of the Board of the "Pen Club". In 1957, he travelled to Thailand and Japan, and in 1958 he received the International Award of Capri. in 1960 he travelled to Brazil, Peru and Bolivia and in 1966 to the United States. He also visited Ivory Coast and Senegal in 1967. He resigned from the bench in 1961, attending to the cultural decade of Cerisy-la-Salle near Canisy. In 1970 he received the grand prize for poetry from L'Académie Française. He died in Paris on March 10, 1971 when, returning from a banquet given by the Boat Touring Club, he was run over by a car shortly after midnight at the outlet of the tunnel of the Quay of des Tuileries. He was buried on March 16 in Canisy.

The "Reading Association at Saint-Lo" and the city of Saint-Lo with the assistance of the Regional Direction of Cultural Affairs of the Lower Normandy Regional Centre of Letters and the Council General of France organise a biannual literary Prize in his name: "Jean Follain Prize in the city of Saint-Lo".

Poems

*Usage du temps (1943)
*Exister (1947)
*Tout instant (1957)
*Appareil de la terre (1964)
*Espaces d'instants (1971)
*Death of the Ferret [ [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=11233 New York Review of Books] Death of the Ferret Volume 13, Number 3 · August 21, 1969]
*The Black Insect
*Habit
*Empire

Writings

*Paris (1935)
*Canisy (1942)
*Chef-Lieu (1950)
*Transparence of the World
*D'Apr&egraves Tout

Awards

*Mallarmé Prize (1939)
*International Prize of Capri (1958)
*Grand Prize of Poetry (L'Académie française 1970)
*Blumenthal Prize (1941)

External links

* [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture2/emissions/vie_oeuvre/fiche.php%3Fdiffusion_id%3D10549&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture2/emissions/vie_oeuvre/fiche.php%253Fdiffusion_id%253D10549%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enCA205CA242 Tribute from Radio France] (Translation by Google)

Citations