Jean-Paul Kauffmann par Claude Truong-Ngoc octobre 2013

Jean-Paul Kauffmann (8 August 1944,

Saint-Pierre-la-Cour Saint-Pierre-la-Cour () is a commune, in the Mayenne department in the north-western of France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, ...

Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et ...

) is a French journalist and writer, a former student of the

École supérieure de journalisme de Lille The École supérieure de journalisme (ESJ Lille) (in English: ''Superior School of Journalism of Lille'') is an institution of higher education, a French ''Grande École'' in Lille dedicated to journalism and related studies. It has been elected be ...

(40th class).

Biography

His great-grandfather Michel Kauffmann left

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

in 1871 after the

Treaty of Frankfurt The Treaty of Frankfurt may refer to one of three treaties signed at Frankfurt, as follows: * Treaty of Frankfurt (1489) - Treaty between Maximilian of Austria and the envoys of King Charles VIII of France *Treaty of Frankfurt (1539) - Initiated ...

and settled in the region of Vitré.

Philippe Petit Philippe Petit (; born 13 August 1949) is a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized high-wire walks between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twi ...

, "Jean-Paul Kauffmann", program ''À voix nue'' on

France Culture France Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes (including debates, discussions, and documentari ...

, 14 April 2014 Jean-Paul Kauffmann was born at

but when he was nine months old, his parents moved to

Corps-Nuds Corps-Nuds (; ; Gallo: ''Cornut'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Corps-Nuds are called ''Cornusiens'' in French. See also *Communes of the Ille-et-Vilaine departm ...

, in Ille-et-Vilaine, to take over a bakery. He entered as a boarder in a religious college at age 11. Unhappy during these "overwhelming years", he took refuge in reading the works of Balzac, Stendhal and above all,

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...

. Due to his love of literature, he believed he had the vocation of a journalist and studied at the

between 1962 and 1966. He did his military service as a cooperant in an educational service in Quebec. He extended his stay there by working in a weekly supplement in the Montreal press. Assistant to the

Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution (french: Révolution tranquille) was a period of intense socio-political and socio-cultural change in French Canada which started in Quebec after the election of 1960, characterized by the effective secularization of govern ...

, he dreamed of staying permanently in the country after falling in love with Mara, a bookseller from

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, as he recalls in his narrative ''Courlande''.

Hostage in Lebanon

Returning to France in 1970, he was employed as a journalist for

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

for seven years, then to AFP. In 1977, he joined the editorial office of the daily ''

Le Matin de Paris ''Le Matin de Paris'' was a French daily newspaper, founded on 1 March 1977 by Claude Perdriel, and disappearing in 1987 ("dépôt de bilan" on 6 May). Its foundation is the subject of the documentary ''Numéros zéro'' by Raymond Depardon. His ...

'' and in 1984 became a reporter for '. While his magazine sent him to Lebanon, he was abducted in Beirut with sociologist

Michel Seurat Michel Seurat was a sociologist and researcher at the CNRS, born 14 August 1947 in Tunisia and died in Beirut in 1986. He was kidnapped on 22 May 1985, in Lebanon, by the Islamic Jihad Organization, a Lebanese terrorist organization that was the pr ...

on 22 May 1985. His wife was actively committed to his release which happened on 4 May 1988 with other hostages, through the intervention of

Jean-Charles Marchiani Jean-Charles Marchiani, (born August 6, 1943) is a French prefect and politician. He is also a former officer of the French external intelligence agency (DGSE). Jean-Charles Marchiani is a counter-terrorism expert, especially focused on Islamic fun ...

, while

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

was Prime minister of

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

. Michel Seurat, for his part, died in custody in 1986. On the occasion of this abduction, Jean-Paul Kauffman lived the traumatic experience of traveling on several occasions, wrapped in an Oriental carpet where asphyxia caused him to lose consciousness, which led him to deepen his reflection and strongly marked his life:

Writer

In 1994, Jean-Paul Kauffmann created the magazine ''L'Amateur de cigare''. As a writer, he published ''L (1993) which earned the

Prix Jean-Freustié Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

, then ''La Chambre noire de Longwood : le voyage à Sainte-Hélène'' (1997) which was awarded numerous prizes (

prix Roger Nimier The Roger Nimier Prize () is a French literature award. It is supposed to go to "a young author whose spirit is in line with the literary works of Roger Nimier". Nimier (1925–1962) was a novelist and a leading member of the Hussards (literary move ...

, Grand Prix Lire-RTL, Prix Jules-Verne,

prix Joseph-Kessel The Prix Joseph Kessel is a prize in French language literature, given to "a book of a high literary value written in French". The jury includes or has included among its members Tahar Ben Jelloun, Jean-Marie Drot, Michèle Kahn, Pierre Haski, Gi ...

and ) ; ''La Lutte avec l'Ange'' (2001) and ''31, allées Damour - Raymond Guérin 1905-1955'' (2004). All these books have a common theme: enclosure, but never directly evoke his experience as a

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...

. In 2002, Jean-Paul Kauffmann received the

Grand prix de littérature Paul-Morand The Grand prix de littérature Paul-Morand is a French literary award, established by the Académie française in 1977 and handed out in 1980 for the first time. The prize goes to an author for their entire body of work. It is named after the write ...

awarded by the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

. For the first time in 2007, in ''La Maison du retour'' (2007), he evokes his captivity, his situation as a hostage and the moments which followed his return; the painful relearning of a "normal" life; his inability to read, for him the great literature enthusiast. As in all Jean-Paul Kauffmann's books, everything is written, in a subdued tone: through the story of buying a house, a den or an airlock, so as to be able to return to his family and to life. A lover of

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...

s, he has published several books on the subject. With ''Courlande'' (Fayard, 2009), the story of a journey sets the plot of several quests, including that of the identity of a country,

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...

. He was awarded the

Prix de la langue française The Prix de la langue française is chronologically the first grand prix of the literary season in France. Established in 1986 by the city of Brive-la-Gaillarde in the department of Corrèze, this prize rewards the work of a personality of the lit ...

in 2009 for all his work.

Publications

*1989: ''Voyage à Bordeaux'', photographs by Michel Guillard,

Caisse des dépôts et consignations The Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC; ) is a French public sector financial institution created in 1816, and part of the government institutions under the control of the Parliament. Often described as the "investment arm" of the French ...

*1989: ''Le Bordeaux retrouvé'' (excluding trade) *1992: ''L'Arche des Kerguelen : voyages aux îles de la désolation'',

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion * Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by C ...

, prix Jean-Freustié *1997: ''La Chambre noire de Longwood : le voyage à Sainte-Hélène'',

La Table Ronde LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

prix Joseph Kessel The Prix Joseph Kessel is a prize in French language literature, given to "a book of a high literary value written in French". The jury includes or has included among its members Tahar Ben Jelloun, Jean-Marie Drot, Michèle Kahn, Pierre Haski, G ...

, . ** 2000: ''The Dark Room at Longwood'', . *1997: Preface to ''Brouillard d'automne'', by , La Table Ronde *1997: ''L'Œil originel'', photographs by Frédéric Desmesure, published on the occasion of the 9th Salon Vinexpo and the exhibition "Regards du monde", Bordeaux, Parc des expositions, 16–20 June 1997, *1997: Postface to ''Mes grands Bordeaux'', by

Pierre-Jean Rémy Pierre-Jean Rémy is the pen-name of Jean-Pierre Angremy (21 March 1937 – 28 April 2010) who was a French diplomat, novelist, and essayist. He was elected to the Académie française on 16 June 1988, and won the 1986 Grand Prix du roman de l'Ac ...

Albin Michel Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

*1999: ''La Morale d'Yquem : conversations with

Alexandre de Lur Saluces Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces, born 20 May 1934 in Vendenesse-lès-Charolles, is a French viticulturist who for 36 years acted as manager of Château d’Yquem, and still acts in this capacity for Château de Fargues, both Sauternais chât ...

'', Mollat- Grasset *2001: ''La Lutte avec l'Ange'', La Table Ronde, *2003: Preface to ''L'Âme du vin'' (1932), by Maurice Constantin-Weyer, La Table Ronde *2004: ''31, allées Damour : Raymond Guérin, 1905-1955'', Berg International-La Table Ronde *2005: Preface to ''Retour de barbarie'', by , . *2007: ''La Maison du retour'',

NiL Éditions NiL Éditions is a French publishing house founded in 1993. The name of this company comes from the contraction of the name of its founder, Nicole Lattès Nicole Lattès ( née Cousin; 20 February 1938 – 31 January 2023) was a French editor. Sh ...

, Prix Bretagne 2007 *2007: Preface to ''5 rue des Italiens. Chroniques du Monde'', by

Bernard Frank Bernard Frank (11 October 1929, in Neuilly-sur-Seine – 3 November 2006, in Paris) was a French journalist and writer. Early life Bernard Frank was raised in a comfortable family, where his father was a bank manager. After his baccalauréat ...

, Grasset *2009: ''Courlande'',

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...

, *2010: Preface to ''Château La Louvière. Le bel art du vin'', by Hélène Brun-Puginier, La Martinière *2011: ''Voyage à Bordeaux 1989'', edition revised and corrected by the author, Éditions des Équateurs, "Parallèles" *2011: ''Voyage en Champagne 1990'', edition revised and corrected by the author, Éditions des Équateurs, "Parallèles" *2013: ''Remonter la Marne'', Fayard *2016: ''Outre-Terre'', Éditions des Équateurs *2019: ''Venise à double tour''; Éditions des Équateurs

References

External links

Jean-Paul Kauffmann
on

''Kauffmann, père et fils''
on ''

L'Express ''L'Express'' () is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''Réussir''. History ...

'' (1/5/2009)
''Otage pendant trois ans au Liban, Jean-Paul Kauffmann a survécu grâce à une Bible''
on ''

La Croix La Croix primarily refers to: * ''La Croix'' (newspaper), a French Catholic newspaper * La Croix Sparkling Water, a beverage distributed by the National Beverage Corporation La Croix or Lacroix may also refer to: Places * Lacroix-Barrez, a muni ...

'' (17/01/2014)
Jean-Paul Kauffmann
on

France Inter France Inter () is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, li ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kauffmann, Jean-Paul 20th-century French journalists 21st-century French journalists 20th-century French writers 21st-century French writers French war correspondents Joseph Kessel Prize recipients Roger Nimier Prize winners Prix Jean Freustié winners 1944 births People from Mayenne Living people