Jean-Richard Bloch (25 May 1884 – 15 March 1947) 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 ...

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

, novelist and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. He was a member of the French Communist Party (PCF) and worked with Louis Aragon in the evening daily ''

Ce soir ''Ce soir'' (English: Tonight), was a French daily newspaper founded by the French Communist Party and directed by Louis Aragon and Jean-Richard Bloch. History The newspaper was established on the initiative of the Communist Party general sec ...

''.

Early life

Bloch was born into a Jewish family. His father was an engineer with the

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

Literary career

He became a professional writer in 1909, after having worked for two years in a high school as an aggregated teacher. By this time, he was already known as a left-leaning intellectual. In 1910 he launched '' L’Effort libre'', a "review of revolutionary civilization". He joined the French Army in World War I and was injured three times on the battlefields of the Marne and in Verdun. After the war, he felt remorse for having joined the army. He also suffered from neurosis caused by the horrors of war and by the premature death of his youngest daughter, Solange. It was during this time that Bloch traveled to Africa on the advice of a friend. His logbook made during this maritime voyage was published in newspapers and magazines of the period and was later serialized into a three volume book set. In 1937, he was responsible for organising '' Naissance d'une cité'', a "popular spectacle" performed on 19 October as part of the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne.

Family life

Brother-in-law of

André Maurois André Maurois (; born Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog; 26 July 1885 – 9 October 1967) was a French author. Biography Maurois was born on 26 July 1885 in Elbeuf and educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, both in Normandy. A member of ...

Literary works

* A Publisher of "''L'Effort Libre''", 1910–1914 ( left-wing literary magazine) * ''Lévy'', 1912 * ''... et Compagnie'', 1918 (novel) * ''La nuit Kurde'' (novel) * ''Sybilla'', 1932 (novel) * ''Carnaval est mort'', 1920 (critic) * A leader of "''Europe''" (with

Jean Guéhenno Jean Guéhenno born Marcel-Jules-Marie Guéhenno (25 March 1890 – 22 September 1978) was a French essayist, writer and literary critic. Life and career Jean Guéhenno, writer and educator, was a prominent contributor to the NRF. He was edito ...

) * ''Offrande à la musique'', 1930 (ballet) * ''Destin du siècle'', 1931 * ''Naissance d'une culture'', 1936 * ''Toulon'' (a play) * ''De la France trahie à la France en armes'', 1949

References

External links

20th-century French novelists 20th-century French male writers Jewish novelists 20th-century French Jews French literary critics 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights French Communist Party members 1884 births 1947 deaths French male novelists French male dramatists and playwrights French senators elected by the National Assembly {{France-politician-stub