Pierre Béarn (; 15 June 1902 – 27 October 2004) was a French writer. He was born Louis-Gabriel Besnard in Bucharest, Romania. He is known to Anglophones for his poem "Couleurs d'usine", which includes the line ''Métro, boulot, bistrots, mégots, dodo, zéro'' (translation: "Subway, work, bars, (cigarette) butts, sleep, nothing")

Biography

A multifaceted personality—at one time a journalist, novelist, poet, fabulist and humanist—, at age nine Béarn began writing in French slang, his "natural" language. His father having died prematurely, at the age of 14 he became a mechanic to financially support his mother. This working life inspired the poem from which came one of the May 1968 protest slogans "métro-boulot-dodo" ("subway-work-sleep") that denounced the shocking workers' conditions at the time. While commanding a trawler to aid the French evacuations in 1940, he was captured and was detained in the concentration camp at Aintree. His poems from that point onwards centred on the sea and the war. After the war he took a post as a press attaché in Africa. In 1969, he created a quarterly magazine for himself alone: ''Le Lien'' (The Link). In 1975, he withdrew to Montlhéry where the peace allowed him to write many fables. In 1998, the first volume of his complete works was published: ''L'arc en ciel de ma vie'' (''The rainbow of my life''). This was followed in 1999 by volume 2, ''300 fables d'aujourd'hui'' (''300 fables of today''). The third volume, ''Couleurs charnelles'' (''Carnal colours''), was released just months before his death on October 27, 2004, during his 102nd year. While generally ignored by the wider public, Béarn received a number of literary prizes such as the '' Prix de Verlaine'' (1940), the '' Grand Prix International de Poésie'' awarded by General

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 ...

in 1971, the ''

Grand prix de l'Académie française Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commun ...

'' in 1981 and again in 1995 for his fables. He also received the Médaille de la Résistance for his participation in the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germ ...

in 1944 and the Légion d'honneur in 1990 from

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

. He was also named Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite in 1995 by

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

, and Commander of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

in 2000 by the minister of culture,

Catherine Tasca Catherine Tasca (born 13 December 1941 in Lyon) was a member of the Senate of France, representing the Yvelines department from 2004 to 2017. She is a member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party, and served as the Senate's vice-pres ...

Quotes

Bibliography

* ''D'amour et d'eau claire'' (1983) * ''La bete'' (1989) * ''L'erotisme dans la poesie feminine de langue francaise: Des origines a nos jours'' (1993) * ''Metro, boulot, dodo: Entretiens avec Christian Denis (La poesie voila)'' (1996)

References

External links

Pierre Béarn
(official memorial site) 1902 births 2004 deaths Fabulists French centenarians 20th-century French poets Romanian emigrants to France Winners of the Prix Broquette-Gonin (literature) Recipients of the Resistance Medal Recipients of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres French male poets 20th-century French male writers Men centenarians {{France-writer-stub