Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
best known for two works, ''
The Bridge over the River Kwai
''The Bridge over the River Kwai'' (french: Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï) is a novel by the French novelist Pierre Boulle, published in French in 1952 and English translation by Xan Fielding in 1954. The story is fictional but uses the construct ...
'' (1952) and ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' (1963), that were both made into award-winning films.
Boulle was an engineer serving as a secret agent with the
Free French
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
in Singapore, when he was captured and subjected to two years' forced labour. He used these experiences in ''The Bridge over the River Kwai'', about the notorious
Death Railway
The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...
, which became an international bestseller. The film, named ''
The Bridge on the River Kwai
''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, the pl ...
'', by
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
won seven Oscars, and Boulle was credited with writing the screenplay, because its two actual
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
s had been
blacklisted
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...
.
His science-fiction novel ''Planet of the Apes'', in which intelligent apes gain mastery over humans, was adapted into a series of nine award-winning films that spawned magazine and TV versions and popular themed toys.
Life and career
Born in
Avignon
Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
, France, Pierre Boulle was baptised and raised as a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, although later in life he became an
agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
. He studied at the prestigious École supérieure d'électricité (
Supélec
École supérieure d'électricité, commonly known as Supélec (), was a French graduate school of engineering. It was one of the most prestigious grande écoles in France in the field of electrical engineering, energy and information sciences. ...
) where he received an
engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering which is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, North Africa and a few institutions in the United States. The degree may require a thesis but always requires a non-a ...
in 1933. From 1936 to 1939, he worked as a technician on British rubber plantations in
Malaya. While there he met a Frenchwoman who was separated from her husband. She was to become the love of his life, to whom he would write tender love letters. She later chose to return to her husband, an official in
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
. During
World War II
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 opposin ...
she and her husband escaped into Malaya, but one of her children died in the process. Boulle would later meet her after the war, and they enjoyed a platonic friendship.
At the outbreak of World War II, Boulle enlisted with the French army in Indochina. After German troops occupied France, he joined the
Free French
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
Mission in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. During the war he was a supporter of
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
.
Boulle served as a
secret agent
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
under the name Peter John Rule and helped the resistance movement in China,
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, and
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
. In 1943, he was captured by
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
loyalists on the
Mekong River
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...
and was subjected to severe hardship and forced labour. He was later made a ''chevalier'' of the
Légion d'Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
and decorated with the
Croix de Guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
and the
Médaille de la Résistance
The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...
. He described his war experiences in the non-fiction ''My Own River Kwai''. After the war he would keep in touch with his war comrades for the rest of his life.
After the war, Boulle returned to work for a while in the rubber industry, but in 1949 he moved back to
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 ...
and began to write. While in Paris, too poor to afford his own flat, he lived in a hotel until his recently widowed sister, Madeleine Perrusset, allowed him to move into her large apartment. She had a daughter, Françoise, whom Pierre helped raise, but plans for him to officially adopt the girl never materialized.
''The Bridge over the River Kwai''
While in Paris, Boulle used his war experiences in writing ''Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï'' (1952; ''
The Bridge over the River Kwai
''The Bridge over the River Kwai'' (french: Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï) is a novel by the French novelist Pierre Boulle, published in French in 1952 and English translation by Xan Fielding in 1954. The story is fictional but uses the construct ...
''), which became a multi-million-copy worldwide bestseller, winning the French "''
Prix Sainte-Beuve The Prix Sainte-Beuve, established in 1946, is a French literary prize awarded each year to a writer in the categories "novels" (or "poetry") and "essays" (or "critics"); it is named after the writer Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve. The founding jury ...
''". The book was a semi-fictional story based on the real plight of
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
POW
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
s forced to build a railway that passed over the bridge, and which became known as the "
Death Railway
The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...
". 16,000 prisoners and 100,000 Asian conscripts died during construction of the line. His character of Lt-Col. Nicholson was not based on the real Allied senior officer at the Kwai bridges,
Philip Toosey
Brigadier Sir Philip John Denton Toosey (12 August 1904 – 22 December 1975) was, as a Lieutenant Colonel, the senior Allied officer in the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp at Tha Maa Kham (known as Tamarkan) in Thailand during World War II. Th ...
, but was reportedly an amalgam of his memories of collaborating French officers. Both the book and film outraged former prisoners because Toosey did not collaborate with the enemy, unlike the fictional Colonel Nicholson. Boulle outlined the reasoning which led him to conceive the character of Nicholson in an interview which forms part of the 1969 BBC2 documentary ''Return to the River Kwai'' made by former POW John Coast. A transcript of the interview and the documentary as a whole can be found in the new edition of John Coast's book ''Railroad of Death''.
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
made the book into a
motion picture
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
that won seven 1957
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
s, including the
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, and
Best Actor for
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
. Boulle himself won the award for
Best Adapted Screenplay despite not having written the screenplay and, by his own admission, not even speaking English. Boulle had been credited with the screenplay because the film's actual screenwriters,
Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman, CBE (July 23, 1914 – June 26, 1984) was an American screenwriter and film producer who wrote the award-winning films ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' and '' High Noon'', among others. He was one of the screenwriters who were bla ...
and
Michael Wilson, had been
blacklisted
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...
as communist sympathizers. Boulle was neither a socialist nor a communist. The
Motion Picture Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...
added Foreman's and Wilson's names to the award in 1984.
Kim Novak
Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired film and television actress and painter.
Novak began her career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures and quickly became one of Hollywood's top box office stars, ...
accepted the Oscar on behalf of Pierre Boulle.
''Planet of the Apes''
In 1963, following several other reasonably successful novels, Boulle published his other famous novel, ''La planète des singes'', translated in 1964 as ''Monkey Planet'' by
Xan Fielding
Alexander Wallace Fielding (26 November 1918 – 19 August 1991) was a British author, translator, journalist and traveller, who served as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent in Crete, France and the East Asia during World War II. The pu ...
, and later re-issued as ''Planet of the Apes''. The book was highly praised and given such reviews as this example from England's ''
Guardian
Guardian usually refers to:
* Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another
* ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper
(The) Guardian(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
'' newspaper: "Classic science fiction ... full of suspense and satirical intelligence." In the year 2500, a group of astronauts, including journalist Ulysse Mérou, voyage to a planet in the star system of
Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant of spectral type M1-2 and one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye. It is usually the tenth-brightest star in the night sky and, after Rigel, the second-brightest in the constellation of Orion ...
. They land to discover a bizarre world where intelligent apes are the Master Race and humans are reduced to savages: caged in zoos, used in laboratory experiments and hunted for sport. The story focuses on Ulysse's capture, his struggle to survive, and the shattering climax as he returns to Earth and a horrific final discovery. The novel is also a wry parable on science, evolution, and the relationship between man and animal.
In 1968, the book was made into an Oscar-winning film, directed by
Franklin J. Schaffner
Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for ''Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Nicholas and Al ...
and starring
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist.
As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...
. The screenplay, originally written by
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...
, focused more on action and deviated in many ways from the novel, including the addition of its own classic
twist ending
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
that was different from the novel's. It inspired four sequels, a television series, an animated series, a
2001 remake of the original title by
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
, and a 2011
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
, ''
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2011 American science fiction film directed by Rupert Wyatt from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It is a reboot of the ''Planet of the Apes'' film franchise, which is based on the 1963 nov ...
'', directed by
Rupert Wyatt
Rupert Wyatt (born 26 October 1972) is an English screenwriter, director and producer. He made his directorial debut with the 2008 film ''The Escapist (2008 film), The Escapist'', which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His second film wa ...
.
The five films of the original series (1968–1973) have become cult classics. Boulle, who had thought his novel to be unfilmable, was taken by surprise at the worldwide success and impact of the film. He wrote a script for a sequel titled ''Planet of the Men'', but the producers of the original film turned it down. The second film, ''
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
''Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The film stars Ja ...
'', which came out in 1970, was also very successful. It was followed by ''
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Don Taylor and written by Paul Dehn. It stars Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman and Ricardo Montalbán. It is the third of five films in the or ...
'' in 1971, ''
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1972 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Paul Dehn. It is the fourth of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The fil ...
'' in 1972, and ''
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
''Battle for the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fifth and final installment in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series, produced by Arthur P. Jacobs, following ''Conquest of ...
'' in 1973.
In September 1973, the original film was first aired on network television. The marketing of toys and other products relating to the film series skyrocketed at this time, creating an 'Apemania' craze. In June 1974,
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
also released a magazine based on the novel and film called ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
''. By September 1974, ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' had become a television series. In 1975, an animated ''
Return to the Planet of the Apes
''Return to the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1975 Saturday morning animation, animated series, by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises in association with 20th Century Fox Television, based on the 1963 novel ''Planet of the Apes (novel), Planet of the Apes' ...
'' series was shown on television.
Other adaptations
The French film ''Le Point de mire'', based on Boulle's novel ''Le Photographe'', was released in 1977. There have also been TV films based on Boulle's novels ''William Conrad'' in 1958 (US) and 1973 (France), ''La Face'' in 1959 (US) and 1966 (West Germany), and ''Un Métier de Seigneur'' in 1986 (France), as well as the short story ''"Le Miracle"'' (from ''E=mc
2'') in 1985 (US).
Another film adaptation is in production for Boulle's ''A Noble Profession'' (''Un Métier de Seigneur''), a spy thriller partly based on Boulle's real-life experience working as a secret agent during the Second World War. The movie is being produced by
Tessa Bell and
Andrea Chung.
Death
Pierre Boulle died in
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
, on 30 January 1994, at age 81, three weeks before his 82nd birthday.
"Pierre Boulle, Novelist, Is Dead; Author of 'River Kwai' Was 81"
New York Times obituaries, 1 February 1994
Works
Novels
*''William Conrad'' (1950; tr. in 1955 as ''Not the Glory'' by Xan Fielding
Alexander Wallace Fielding (26 November 1918 – 19 August 1991) was a British author, translator, journalist and traveller, who served as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent in Crete, France and the East Asia during World War II. The pu ...
; also issued as ''Spy Converted'')
*''Le Sacrilège malais'' (1951; tr. in 1959 as ''Sacrilege in Malaya'' by Xan Fielding; also issued as ''S.O.P.H.I.A.'')
*''Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï'' (1952; tr. in 1954 as ''The Bridge over the River Kwai
''The Bridge over the River Kwai'' (french: Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï) is a novel by the French novelist Pierre Boulle, published in French in 1952 and English translation by Xan Fielding in 1954. The story is fictional but uses the construct ...
'' by Xan Fielding)
*''Le Bourreau'' (1954; tr. in 1961 by Xan Fielding, US title: ''The Executioner'', UK title: ''The Chinese Executioner'')
*''L'Épreuve des hommes blancs'' (1955; tr. in 1957 as ''The Test'' by Xan Fielding; also issued as ''White Man's Test'')
*''La Face'' (1956; tr. in 1956 as ''Saving Face'' by Xan Fielding; also issued as ''Face of a Hero'')
*''Les Voies du salut'' (1958; tr. in 1958 as ''The Other Side of the Coin'' by Richard Howard)
*''Un métier de seigneur'' (1960; tr. in 1960 as ''A Noble Profession'' by Xan Fielding; also issued as ''For a Noble Cause'')
*''La Planète des singes'' (1963; tr. in 1964 as ''Monkey Planet'' by Xan Fielding; later issued as ''Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'')
*''Le Jardin de Kanashima'' (1964; tr. in 1965 as ''Garden on the Moon'' by Xan Fielding)
*''Le Photographe'' (1967; tr. in 1967 by Xan Fielding, US title: ''The Photographer'', UK title: ''An Impartial Eye'')
*''Les Jeux de l'esprit'' (1971; tr. in 1973 as ''Desperate Games'' by Patricia Wolf)
*''Les Oreilles de jungle'' (1972; tr. in 1972 as ''Ears of the Jungle'' by Michael Dobry and Lynda Cole) - story of the Vietnam war told from the perspective of a North Vietnamese commander
*''Les Vertus de l'enfer'' (1974; tr. in 1974 as ''The Virtues of Hell'' by Patricia Wolf)
*''Le Bon Léviathan'' (1978; tr. in 1978 as ''The Good Leviathan'' by Margaret Giovanelli)
*''Les Coulisses du Ciel'' (1979; tr. in 1985 as ''Trouble in Paradise'' by Patricia Wolf)
*''L'Énergie du désespoir'' (1981)
*''Miroitements'' (1982; tr. in 1986 as ''Mirrors of the Sun'' by Patricia Wolf)
*''La Baleine des Malouines'' (1983; tr. in 1984 by Patricia Wolf, US title: ''The Whale of the Victoria Cross'', UK title: ''The Falklands Whale'')
*''Pour l'amour de l'art'' (1985)
*''Le Professeur Mortimer'' (1988)
*''Le Malheur des uns...'' (1990)
*''À nous deux, Satan !'' (1992)
*''L'Archéologue et le Mystère de Néfertiti'' (2005; posthumous)
Short story collections
*''Contes de l'absurde'' (1953)
*''E=mc2'' (1957)
*''Histoires charitables'' (1965)
*''Time Out of Mind: And Other Stories'' (1966; twelve stories from Boulle's first three collections tr. by Xan Fielding and Elisabeth Abbott)
*''Quia absurdum: sur la Terre comme au Ciel'' (1966; tr. in 1970 as ''Because It Is Absurd: On Earth as It Is in Heaven'' by Elisabeth Abbott)
*''Histoires perfides'' (1976; tr. in 1977 as '' The Marvelous Palace And Other Stories'' by Margaret Giovanelli)
*''L'Enlèvement de l'obélisque'' (2007; posthumous)
Non-fiction
* ''Le Siam (Walt Disney)'' (1955; tr. in 1958 as ''Walt Disney's Siam'' by Herbert Knapp)—in Walt Disney's "Le Monde et ses habitants"/"The World and its Inhabitants" series
* ''L'étrange croisade de l'empereur Frédéric II'' (1963)
* ''Aux sources de la rivière Kwaï'' (1966; tr. in 1967 by Xan Fielding, US title: ''My Own River Kwai'', UK title: ''The Source of the River Kwai'')—memoir
* ''L'univers ondoyant'' (1987)
* ''L'îlon'' (1990)—memoir
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulle, Pierre
1912 births
1994 deaths
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
Best British Screenplay BAFTA Award winners
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
French agnostics
French military personnel of World War II
French science fiction writers
Writers from Avignon
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
Recipients of the Resistance Medal
20th-century French novelists
20th-century French male writers
French male screenwriters
French male novelists
Prix Sainte-Beuve winners
Free French military personnel of World War II
20th-century French screenwriters
Planet of the Apes