Alexandre Blokh (russian: Александр Арнольдович Блок), called Jean Blot, (31 March 1923, Moscow – 23 December 2019, Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (Essonne)) was a French writer, translator, and senior civil servant of Russian origin.

Biography

Blot came from two bourgeois families (St. Petersburg diamonds for his father, wholesale grocer for his mother). In the USSR of the twenties, his parents worked at the defense commissioner for his father, as a lawyer for street children for his mother. His family moved to Germany at the time of the NEP, then moved to Paris where he attended primary school. Sent to England to learn English for high school, he spent the war in France. A Russian and Jewish refugee, he fled to Lyon and engaged in the Resistance (''Le juif Margolin'' 1998). He was a doctor of Law, Bachelor of Arts, International Civil Servant at the United Nations in New York (1946–1956), in Geneva (1958–1961) then at the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in Paris (from 1962). He travelled all over the world. International Secretary of the

PEN club PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...

from 1981 to 1997 and then International Vice President of Pen Club since 1998 and President of the French Pen club from 1999 to 2005. In 1990 he created the Russian Pen club. He was a novelist but also a literary critic in relation to his trilingualism (French, Russian, English).

Works

*1951: ''Naissance de l'État coréen'' *1956: ''Le Soleil de Cavouri'', Éditions Gallimard *1959: ''Les Enfants de New-York'', Gallimard *1961: ''Obscur ennemi'', Gallimard *1964: ''Les Illusions nocturnes'' *1968: ''La Jeune Géante'', Gallimard *1971: ''La Difficulté d’aimer'', Gallimard *1972: ''

Ossip Mandelstam Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet. He was one of the foremost members of the Acm ...

'', Seghers, series ''Poètes d'aujourd'hui'' *1973: ''Là où tu iras'',

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 ...

*1976: ''Les Cosmopolites'', Gallimard *1979: ''Sporade'' (récits de voyage), Arthaud, series "Terre écrite" *1980: ''Marguerite Yourcenar'', Seghers *1981: ''Gris du ciel'', Gallimard *1984: ''Ivan Gontcharov ou le réalisme impossible'', 1984 *1984: ''La Montagne sainte'', Albin Michel *1985: ''Tout l’été'', Albin Michel *1988: ''Sainte Imposture'', Albin Michel *1990:''Si loin de Dieu et Autres Voyages'', Albin Michel *1992: ''Bloomsbury, Histoire d’une sensibilité artistique et politique anglaise'', Balland *1995: ''Albert Cohen ou Solal dans le siècle'', Albin Michel *1995: ''Nabokov'', Seuil, collection ''Écrivains de toujours'' *1998: ''Le Juif Margolin'', Plon *2001: ''Moïse, notre contemporain'', Albin Michel *2002: ''Roses d'Amérique'', Balland *2005: ''Le soleil se couche à l’est'',

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*2008: ''Une vie à deux'', le Rocher *2010: ''Le Roman, poésie de la prose'', Champion *2012: ''Affaire de Cœur'', Pierre-Guillaume de Roux *2015: ''Tout sera paysage'', Gallimard

Literary prizes

*1977:

Prix Valery-Larbaud The Prix Valery Larbaud is a French literary prize created in 1967, ten years after writer Valery Larbaud's death, by ''L'Association Internationale des Amis de Valery Larbaud'', an organization dedicated to the promotion of his works. The prize is ...

for ''Les Cosmopolites''. *1982:

Prix Cazes Brasserie Lipp is a brasserie located at 151 Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It sponsors an annual literary prize, the Prix Cazes, named for a previous owner. History On , Léonard Lipp and his wife Pétronille opened ...

brasserie Lipp for ''Gris du ciel''. *1984: Prix Valentine de Wolmar for ''La Montagne sainte''. *1985:

Grand prix de la Critique littéraire The grand prix de la Critique littéraire was created in 1948 by Robert André. It is awarded each year by the French PEN club to a literary essay. Chaired by , its jury is now made up of Jean Blot, Jean-Luc Despax, Jean-Claude Lamy, Daniel Leuwer ...

for ''Ivan Gontcharov ou le réalisme impossible''. *1986: Prix d'Académie for his lifetime achievement.

Media

France Culture devoted five programs to him in 2012.France-culture 2012
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Bibliography

*''Comprendre'', issue 28, 1964,

References

External links

* http://www.imec-archives.com/fonds/blot-jean/, fiche sur le site de l'

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Pascal Ory, ''Jean Blot'', in : ''Dictionnaire des étrangers qui ont fait la France'', Robert Laffont/Bouquins/Segher, 2013

Jean Blot
on Babelio

on Poenix
Jena Blot
on the site of Éditions Gallimard {{DEFAULTSORT:Blot, Jean 1923 births 2019 deaths 20th-century French writers 20th-century French male writers 21st-century French writers French expatriates in the United Kingdom Translators from Russian Prix Valery Larbaud winners French male non-fiction writers 20th-century French translators Soviet expatriates in Germany Soviet emigrants to France PEN International