Raoul-Jacques Dietrich, better known as Luc Dietrich (17 March 1913,

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

– 12 August 1944), 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 ...

writer. Dietrich was born in

. His father died when he was very young, and his mother was ill and addicted to drugs. She was frequently incapable of taking care of her son; several times he was sent asylums and similar establishments. Shortly after Dietrich's release from one at the age of 18, his mother died. In 1932 Dietrich met philosopher and poet

Lanza del Vasto Lanza del Vasto (born Giuseppe Giovanni Luigi Maria Enrico Lanza di Trabia-Branciforte; 29 September 1901 – 6 January 1981) was an Italian philosopher, poet, artist, Catholic and nonviolent activist. He was born in San Vito dei Normanni, I ...

at the

Parc Monceau Parc Monceau () is a public park situated in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, at the junction of Boulevard de Courcelles, Rue de Prony and Rue Georges Berger. At the main entrance is a rotunda. The park covers an area of 8.2 hectares (20 ...

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 ...

. The first thing del Vasto said to Dietrich was "Are you as good as this bread?" The two became inseparable friends for the rest of Dietrich's short life. Lanza helped and mentored Dietrich in writing, although he always refused to be credited as a co-author. Another of Dietrich's famous friends was poet

René Daumal René Daumal (; 16 March 1908 – 21 May 1944) was a French spiritual para-surrealist writer, critic and poet, best known for his posthumously published novel ''Mount Analogue'' (1952) as well as for being an early, outspoken practitioner of ...

. After becoming lightly wounded during a bombardment in 1944, Dietrich developed

hemiplegia Hemiparesis, or unilateral paresis, is weakness of one entire side of the body ('' hemi-'' means "half"). Hemiplegia is, in its most severe form, complete paralysis of half of the body. Hemiparesis and hemiplegia can be caused by different medic ...

and then

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

, and died the same year, aged 31. He is best known today for his semi-autobiographical novel, ''Le Bonheur des tristes'' ("The Happiness of Sad People").

Works

* ''Huttes à la lisière'', 1930 * ''The Happiness of Sad People'' (''Le Bonheur des tristes''), 1935 * ''Earth'' (''Terre''), 1936 * ''Apprenticeship of the City'' (''L’Apprentissage de la ville''), 1942 * ''Talk of Friendship'' (''Le Dialogue de l’Amitié''), with

, 1942 * ''L'Injuste Grandeur'', 1943 * ''Emblèmes végétaux'', 1993 * ''Demain, c’est le possible'', 1996 * ''Poésies'', 1996 * ''L'École des conquérants'', 1997

References

* Delbourg, Patrice. ''Luc Dietrich, astéroïde lyrique''. In: ''Les désemparés: 53 portraits d'écrivains'', edited by Patrice Delbourg. Castor astral, 1996. ,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dietrich, Luc 20th-century French non-fiction writers 1913 births 1944 deaths Writers from Dijon French photographers 20th-century French male writers French civilians killed in World War II