Lucette Destouches (20 July 1912 – 8 November 2019) was a French dancer. She was married to the writer

Louis-Ferdinand Céline Louis Ferdinand Auguste Destouches (27 May 1894 – 1 July 1961), better known by the pen name Louis-Ferdinand Céline ( , ) was a French novelist, polemicist and physician. His first novel ''Journey to the End of the Night'' (1932) won the '' Pr ...

until his death in 1961.

Biography

Destouches was the daughter of Joseph Almansor and Gabrielle Donas Lucie Georgette Almansor. She was born on 20 July 1912 in the

5th arrondissement of Paris The 5th arrondissement of Paris (''Ve arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''le cinquième''. The arrondissement, also known as Panthéon, is s ...

. Destouches married Louis-Ferdinand Céline on 15 February 1943 in the 18th arrondissement. During World War II Céline expressed controversial views about the collaborationist regime in France; in September 1944 he and Lucette fled to Germany to escape retaliation. They later moved to Denmark before returning to France. In his novels, Céline portrayed Destouches as Lili. The character appeared in '' Castle to Castle'', ''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

'', and '' Rigadoon''. Céline died on 1 July 1961, and Destouches largely kept his death a secret. Only thirty people attended the funeral, including

Marcel Aymé Marcel Aymé (29 March 1902 – 14 October 1967) was a French novelist and playwright, who also wrote screenplays and works for children. Biography Marcel André Aymé was born in Joigny, in the Burgundy region of France, the youngest of si ...

, Claude Gallimard,

Roger Nimier Roger Nimier (31 October 1925 – 28 September 1962) was a French novelist. Life Nimier was born in Paris, and served in the French Army, specifically in the 2nd Hussard Regiment in the Second World War (until 1945). He began to write quite earl ...

, Robert Poulet,

Jean-Roger Caussimon Jean-Roger Caussimon (24 July 1918 – 19 October 1985) was a French singer-songwriter and film actor. He appeared in 90 films between 1945 and 1985 but is better known for having worked with poet-singer Léo Ferré. Discography Studio albu ...

, and

Lucien Rebatet Lucien Rebatet (15 November 1903 – 24 August 1972) was a French writer, journalist, and intellectual. He is known as an exponent of fascism and virulent antisemite but also as the author of '' Les Deux étendards'', regarded by some as one of ...

. Destouches began to teach classical dance. She taught courses with

Judith Magre Judith Magre (born 20 November 1926) is a French actress, born in Montier-en-Der, Haute-Marne Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture i ...

, Françoise Gallimard, Isabelle Gallimard,

Ludmilla Tchérina Ludmilla Tchérina (born Monique Tchemerzine; ; 10 October 1924 – 21 March 2004) was a French prima ballerina and actress. Biography Tchérina was born Monique Tchemerzine, into Circassian aristocracy as the daughter of Kabardian Prince Ave ...

, and members of

2Be3 2Be3 was a French boy band that was active from 1996 to 2001. History 2Be3 was formed in 1996 and comprised three childhood friends from Longjumeau (a suburb of Paris): Filip Nikolic, Adel Kachermi and Frank Delay. Inspired by English bands li ...

during their early careers. Destouches was initially quite opposed to Marie Canavaggia's translations and the publications of ''Rigodoon'' and anti-Semitic works written by Céline, such as ''Bagatelles pour un massacre'', ''L'École des cadavres'', and ''Les Beaux Draps'', but finally agreed in 2017. The projects were soon postponed indefinitely. On her 100th birthday in 2012, Destouches had a series of texts by David Alliot written in her honor, titled ''Madame Céline''. Destouches died on 8 November 2019 at her home in

Meudon Meudon () is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris. The city is known for many historic monuments and some extraordinary trees. One of t ...

. She was 107.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Destouches, Lucette French female dancers French centenarians Women centenarians 1912 births 2019 deaths Dancers from Paris Dance teachers Louis-Ferdinand Céline