Jules Roy (22 October 1907 – 15 June 2000) was a French writer. "Prolific and polemical" Roy, born an

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

pied noir The ''Pieds-Noirs'' (; ; ''Pied-Noir''), are the people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French rule from 1830 to 1962; the vast majority of whom departed for mainland France as soon as Alger ...

and sent to a Roman Catholic seminary, used his experiences in the French colony and during his service in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) a ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as inspiration for a number of his works. He began writing in 1946, while still serving in the military, and continued to publish fiction and historical works after his resignation in 1953 in protest of the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh ( Democratic Republic of ...

. He was an outspoken critic of French colonialism and the

Algerian War of Independence The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

and later

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

, as well as a strongly religious man.

Life and work

Like his friend

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His works ...

and his first editor Edmond Charlot, Roy was a descendant of white settlers in French Algeria. He was born in

Rovigo Rovigo (, ; egl, Ruig) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. Geography Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, by rail southwest of Venice and south-southwest of ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, and spent his childhood on the farm of his maternal grandparents, the Pâris, small landholders who lived near the village of Sidi Moussa, about eight kilometres north of the town. Roy was the fruit of an adulterous liaison between Mathilde Roy, the wife of a policeman, and Henri Dematons, a school-teacher. During World War II, Roy commanded a

squadron which was engaged in bombing the Ruhr Basin; he described the missions in ''La Vallée heureuse'' (Charlot, 1946). In his memoirs the journalist Walter Lewino states that when Roy first joined the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...

after the Allied invasion of North Africa, he was sent for flight training to

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from th ...

, where upon skills testing the British ignored his captain's rank and designated him a second navigator, making Roy junior under British rules to his pilot let alone squadron leadership. In June 1953 Roy resigned from the army, at the rank of colonel, in protest at the government's policies in the

. His ''Le Voyage en Chine'' (Julliard, 1965) recounts the story of a visit to

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC ...

's China during which he planned to make a film portraying what he had imagined to be the successful transformation of the society, only to be disappointed at the lack of access to real conditions. In 1995, Roy, who had been living in France for many years, returned to Algeria and visited his mother's grave in the small pied noir cemetery at Sidi Moussa. Roy spent the last years of his life in

Vézelay Vézelay () is a commune in the department of Yonne in the north-central French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is a defensible hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and its 11th-century Romanesque Basilica of St Magdalene are de ...

, following his interest in the life of

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurr ...

. He was first married to Mirande Grimal with whom he had two children, Jean-Louis and Genevieve. Following a divorce he married Tatiana Soukoroukoff in 1965 (she died in 2012). Both children survived him.

Works

Novels * ''Le tonnerre et les anges'',

Éditions Grasset The Grasset Editions () is a French publishing house founded in 1907 by (1881–1955). History Founder In 1913, Bernard Grasset publishes the first volume of '' À la recherche du temps perdu'', by Marcel Proust, '' Du côté de chez Swann'' ...

, 1975. * '' Le Désert de Retz'', Grasset, 1978. * ''Les Chevaux du soleil'', Grasset, 1980, 6 volumes ; one volume edition, Omnibus, 1995. * ''La Saison des Za'', Grasset, 1982. Non-fiction * ''Ciel et terre'', Alger, Charlot, 1943 (épuisé). * ''La Vallée heureuse'', Charlot, 1946, with a preface by

Pierre Jean Jouve Pierre Jean Jouve (11 October 1887 – 8 January 1976) was a French writer, novelist and poet.Michael Sheringham, 'Jouve, Pierre-Jean', ''Oxford Companion to French Literature''Onlineat answers.com He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literat ...

; Gallimard, 1948 ; Éditions Julliard, 1960 ;

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 ...

, 1989. * ''Le Métier des armes'', Gallimard, 1948 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''Retour de l'enfer'', Gallimard, 1953 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''Le Navigateur'', Gallimard, 1954 ; Julliard, 1960. *''La Femme infidèle'', Gallimard, 1955 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''Les Flammes de l'été'', Gallimard, 1956 ; Julliard, 1960 ;

, 1993. * ''Les Belles Croisades'', Gallimard, 1959 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''La Guerre d'Algérie'', Julliard, 1960 ; Christian Bourgois, 1994. * ''La Bataille de Dien Bien Phu'', Julliard, 1963 ; Albin Michel, 1989. * ''Le Voyage en Chine'', Julliard, 1965. * ''La Mort de Mao'', Christian Bourgois, 1969 ; Albin Michel, 1991. * ''L'Amour fauve'', Grasset, 1971. * ''Danse du ventre au-dessus des canons'', Flammarion, 1976. * ''Pour le lieutenant Karl'', Christian Bourgois, 1977. * ''Pour un chien'', Grasset, 1979. * ''Une affaire d'honneur'', Plon, 1983. * ''Beyrouth viva la muerte'', Grasset, 1984. * ''Guynemer, l'ange de la mort'', Albin Michel, 1986. * ''Mémoires barbares'', Albin Michel, 1989. * ''Amours barbares'', Albin Michel, 1993. * ''Un après-guerre amoureux'', Albin Michel, 1995. * ''Adieu ma mère, adieu mon cœur'', Albin Michel, 1996. * ''Journal, t. 1, Les années déchirement, 1925-1965'', Albin Michel, 1997. * ''Journal, t. 2, Les années cavalières, 1966-1985'', Albin Michel, 1998. * ''Journal, t. 3, Les années de braise, 1986-1996'', Albin Michel, 1999. * ''Lettre à Dieu'', Albin Michel, 2001. Essays * ''Comme un mauvais ange'', Charlot, 1946 ; Gallimard, 1960. * ''L'Homme à l'épée'', Gallimard, 1957 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''Autour du drame'', Julliard, 1961. * ''Passion et mort de Saint-Exupéry'', Gallimard, 1951 ; Julliard, 1960 ; La Manufacture, 1987. * ''Le Grand Naufrage'', Julliard, 1966 ; Albin Michel, 1995. * ''Turnau'', Sienne, 1976 (hors commerce). * ''Éloge de Max-Pol Fouchet'',

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. ...

, 1980. * ''Étranger pour mes frères'', Stock, 1982. * ''Citoyen Bolis, tambour de village'', Avallon, Voillot,1989. * ''Vézelay ou l'Amour fou'', Albin Michel, 1990. * ''Rostropovitch, Gainsbourg et Dieu'', Albin Michel, 1991. Poetry * ''Trois Pières pour des pilotes'', Alger, Charlot, 1942. * ''Chants et prières pour des pilotes'', Charlot, 1943 ; Gallimard, 1948 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''Sept Poèmes de ténèbres'', Paris, 1957. * ''Prière à Mademoiselle Sainte-Madeleine'', Charlot, 1984 ; Bleu du Ciel, Vézelay, 1986. * ''Chant d'amour pour Marseille'', Jeanne Laffitte, 1988. * ''Cinq Poèmes'', Avallon, Voillot,1991. * ''La nuit tombe, debout camarades !'',

Gérard Oberlé Gérard Oberlé (born 27 November 1945, Saverne) is a French writer and bibliographer. Origin and biography Born in Alsace, of parents from Lorraine originating from Dabo where his grandfather was a clog maker, Gérard Oberlé spent there his su ...

, 1991. * ''Poèmes et prières des années de guerre (1939–1945)'', Actes Sud, 2001. Drama * ''Beau Sang'', Gallimard, 1952 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''Les Cyclones'', Gallimard, 1953 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''Le Fleuve rouge'', Gallimard, 1957 ; Julliard, 1960. * ''La Rue des Zouaves'' suivi de ''Sa Majesté Monsieur Constantin'', Julliard, 1970. * ''Lieutenant Karl'', dramatique télé (Michel Wyn), INA, 1977. * ''Mort au champ d'honneur' Albin Michel, 1995. Pamphlet * ''J'accuse le général Massu'', Seuil, 1972. Short story * ''L'Œil de loup du roi de Pharan'', Sétif, 1945. Correspondence * ''D'une amitié. Correspondance (1937–1962)'', Édisud, 1985, with the poet

Jean Amrouche Jean el Mouhouv Amrouche (7 February 1906 in Ighil Ali, Algeria – 16 April 1962 in Paris, France) was an Algerian francophone writer, poet and journalist. Biography Jean el Mouhouv Amrouche was born February 7, 1906, in Ighil Ali, in the v ...

Notes

References

* Sperber, Manès, ''Man and His Deeds'', McGraw-Hill, 1970. {{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Jules 1907 births 2000 deaths People from Bougara Pieds-Noirs Prix Renaudot winners 20th-century French novelists French male essayists French male novelists 20th-century French essayists Non-British Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Free French military personnel of World War II 20th-century French male writers