Francis Carco (born François Carcopino-Tusoli) (1886–1958) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

author, born at

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, a ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. He was a poet, belonging to the ''Fantaisiste'' school, a novelist, a dramatist, and art critic for ''L'Homme libre'' and ''Gil Blas''. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he became an aviation pilot at

Étampes Étampes () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department. Étampes, together with the neighboring c ...

, after studying at the aviation school there. His works are picturesque, painting as they do the street life of

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

, and often being written in the ''argot'' of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He has been called the "romancier des apaches." His memoir, ''The Last Bohemia: From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter'', contains reminiscences of

bohemian life Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, a ...

in Paris during the early years of the 20th century. He had an affair with the short story writer

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebra ...

in February 1915. The narrator Raoul Duquette of her story '' Je ne parle pas français'' (who has a cynical attitude to love and sex) is partly based on him, and her story '' An Indiscreet Journey'' is based on her journey through the war zone to spend four nights with Corporal Francis Carco near

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

. She saved as a memento of him a fake letter from "Julie Boiffard" asking her to visit (which is now held in the Turnbull Library). She also wrote a letter to her husband from Carco's Paris flat on 8/9 May 1915. Carco held the ninth seat at

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (Goncourt Literary Society), usually called the Académie Goncourt (Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1900 by the French writer and publisher Edmond de Go ...

from 1937 to 1958. He is buried in the Cimetière de Bagneux. He was the author of: *''Instincts'' (1911) *''Jésus-la-Caille'' (novel, 1914) *''Les Innocents'' (1917) *''Au coin des rues'' (tales, 1918, 1922) *''Les Malheurs de Fernande'' (sequel to ''Jésus-la-Caille'', 1918) *''Les Mystères de la Morgue ou les Fiancés du IVº arrondissement. Roman gai'' (1918) *''L'Equipe'' (1919) *''La Poésie'' (1919) *''Maman Petitdoigt'' (1920) *''Francis Carco, raconté par lui-meme'' (1921; in the collection ', edited by Marc Saunier and published by R. Chiberre) *''Promenades pittoresques à Montmartre'' (1922) *''L'homme traqué'' (1922;

Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française Le Grand Prix du Roman is a French literary award, created in 1914, and given each year by the Académie française. Along with the Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French litera ...

) *''Vérotchka l'Étrangère ou le Gout du malheur'' (1923) *''Perversité'' (1925) (the English translation of this by

Jean Rhys Jean Rhys, ( ; born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams; 24 August 1890 – 14 May 1979) was a British novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she mainly resided in England, where she was sent for her ...

was mis-attributed to

Ford Madox Ford Ford Madox Ford (né Joseph Leopold Ford Hermann Madox Hueffer ( ); 17 December 1873 – 26 June 1939) was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals ''The English Review'' and ''The Transatlantic Review'' were instrumental in ...

under murky circumstances)Glover, Douglas. "All the Sad Clowns: On Francis Carco's Novel ''Perversity''"
''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

'' July 19, 2020 *''Le Roman de François Villon'' (1926), a heavily fictionalised biography of the 15th-century poet *''Brumes'' (1935) *''Panam'', prose-poem of Paris Madam, (1922; Librairie Stock): "Of all the pleasures, it is those of the night that I prefer, when the street glitters in the fog and around the corner in a cul-de-sac glows the red light with the three letters of that magnetic word: Bal."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carco, Francis 1886 births 1958 deaths People from Nouméa 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French male writers French people of Corsican descent French military personnel of World War I Burials at the Cimetière parisien de Bagneux Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française winners French people in New Caledonia French male poets French male novelists 20th-century French poets French World War I pilots

See also

References

External links