![Pierre Mac Orlan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Pierre_Mac_Orlan.jpg)
Pierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan (born Pierre Dumarchey, February 26, 1882 – June 27, 1970), was a French novelist and songwriter.
His novel ''
Quai des Brumes'' was the source for
Marcel Carné
Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include '' Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), '' The Devil's Envoys ...
's 1938 film of the same name, starring
Jean Gabin
Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), ''La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ( ...
. He was also a prolific writer of ''chansons'', many of which were recorded and popularized by French singers such as
Juliette Gréco
Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...
,
Monique Morelli,
Catherine Sauvage
Catherine Sauvage (26 May 1929 – 20 March 1998) was a French singer and actress.
Early life
Born Marcelle Jeanine Saunier in Nancy, France, she moved with her family in 1940 to the Free Zone in Annecy. After high school, she turned to the t ...
, and
Germaine Montero
Germaine Montero (1909–2000) was a French singer and a stage, television and film actress.Conway p.87
Partial filmography
* '' Sapho'' (1934) - Madame Sombreuse
* ''The Sin of Rogelia Sanchez'' (1940) - Rogelia Sanchez
* '' Saint Rogelia'' (19 ...
.
Life
Born in
Péronne, Somme
Péronne () is a commune of the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
It is close to where the 1916, first 1918 and second 1918 Battles of the Somme took place during the First World War. The Museum of the Great War (known ...
, in northern France, Mac Orlan lived in
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
and
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 ...
as a young man, working at a variety of jobs and learning to play the
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
. In his twenties, he travelled widely in Europe, before returning to Paris and becoming a noted figure in
bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
art circles. In particular, his song performances were a regular feature at the
Lapin Agile
Lapin Agile is a famous Montmartre cabaret, at 22 Rue des Saules, 18th arrondissement of Paris, France.
History
It existed circa 1860 under the name Au rendez-vous des voleurs meaning "Where the Thieves Meet." Some twenty years later the ...
cabaret. During this period, he was part of a broad circle of writers and painters including
Max Jacob
Max Jacob (; 12 July 1876 – 5 March 1944) was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic.
Life and career
After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic ca ...
,
Guillaume Apollinaire
Guillaume Apollinaire) of the Wąż coat of arms. (; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent.
Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...
,
Maurice Utrillo
Maurice Utrillo (), born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955), was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. Born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painte ...
and
Francis Carco
Francis Carco (born François Carcopino-Tusoli) (1886–1958) was a French author, born at Nouméa, New Caledonia. He was a poet, belonging to the ''Fantaisiste'' school, a novelist, a dramatist, and art critic for ''L'Homme libre'' and ''Gil Blas ...
.
He fought in the war against Germany until wounded in 1916, after which he worked as a
war correspondent. In later years he earned a living as a writer in
Saint Cyr-sur-Morin, outside Paris. In the late 1920s he became an influential critic of film and photography, writing important essays about the work of
Eugène Atget
Eugène Atget (; 12 February 1857 – 4 August 1927) was a French ''flâneur'' and a pioneer of documentary photography, noted for his determination to document all of the architecture and street scenes of Paris before their disappearance to mod ...
,
Germaine Krull Germaine Luise Krull (20 November 1897 – 31 July 1985) was a photographer, political activist, and hotel owner.Sichel, Kim. ''Germaine Krull: Photographer of Modernity''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1999. . Her nationality has been catego ...
and others.
Works
In addition to ''
Quai des Brumes'', his many novels included ''
A Bord de l'Etoile Matutine'', translated into English by
Malcolm Cowley
Malcolm Cowley (August 24, 1898 – March 27, 1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. His best known works include his first book of poetry, ''Blue Juniata'' (1929), his lyrical memoir, ''Exile's Return ...
as ''
On Board the Morning Star'', and ''
La Bandera'' (1931). Among the popular ''chansons'' written by Mac Orlan are "Fille de Londres", "Le Pont du Nord" and "Nelly". The French singer
Germaine Montero
Germaine Montero (1909–2000) was a French singer and a stage, television and film actress.Conway p.87
Partial filmography
* '' Sapho'' (1934) - Madame Sombreuse
* ''The Sin of Rogelia Sanchez'' (1940) - Rogelia Sanchez
* '' Saint Rogelia'' (19 ...
released an extensive set of her interpretations of Mac Orlan songs on the CD ''Meilleur de Germaine Montero''. Most recently, new English translations of his books "A Handbook for the Perfect Adventurer," translated by Napoleon Jeffries (2013), and "Mademoiselle Bambù," translated by Chris Clarke (2017), have been published in the United States by Wakefield Press.
Using his real name, Pierre Dumarchey, and various pseudonyms including: Docteur Fowler, Pierre du Bourdel, Pierre de Jusange, Sadie Blackeyes,
Chevalier de X, and Sadinet,
he was for several years a writer of pornographic novels, which frequently depicted
flagellation
Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...
and
sado-masochism
Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...
. These titles include: ''La Comtesse au fouet'' (1908), the story of a cruel
dominatrix
A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...
, ''Les Grandes Flagellées de l'histoire'' (1909), ''Lise Fessée'' (1910), ''Masochism in America'' (1910), ''Miss'' (1912), and ''Petite dactylo et autres textes de flagellation'' (1913).
[ He told ]Pascal Pia
Pascal Pia (15 August 1903, Paris – 27 September 1979, Paris), born Pierre Durand, was a French writer, journalist, illustrator and scholar. He also used the pseudonyms Pascal Rose, Pascal Fely and others.
In 1922 he published the erotic ...
that he used the Dumarchey name to upset an uncle of his who made his life hard.
Influences and legacy
The French writer and political theorist Guy Debord
Guy-Ernest Debord (; ; 28 December 1931 – 30 November 1994) was a French Marxist theorist, philosopher, filmmaker, critic of work, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationis ...
, founder of the Situationist International
The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution ...
was a constant reader of Mac Orlan's novels of urban adventure and "low life". The well-known photographer of New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in the 1930s Berenice Abbott was highly influenced by Mac Orlan's writings on the "fantastique" and the "social fantastique". The physicist Freeman Dyson
Freeman John Dyson (15 December 1923 – 28 February 2020) was an English-American theoretical physicist and mathematician known for his works in quantum field theory, astrophysics, random matrices, mathematical formulation of quantum m ...
, in his 2008 AMS AMS or Ams may refer to:
Organizations Companies
* Alenia Marconi Systems
* American Management Systems
* AMS (Advanced Music Systems)
* ams AG, semiconductor manufacturer
* AMS Pictures
* Auxiliary Medical Services
Educational institutions
* A ...
Albert Einstein Lecture, interprets MacOrlan's song "La Ville Morte" ("The Dead City") as an example of the "empty city archetype", a Jungian
Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...
archetype as described by mathematician Yuri I. Manin
Yuri Ivanovich Manin (russian: Ю́рий Ива́нович Ма́нин; born 16 February 1937) is a Russian mathematician, known for work in algebraic geometry and diophantine geometry, and many expository works ranging from mathematical log ...
.
Filmography
*'' La Bandera'', directed by Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...
(1935, based on the novel '' La Bandera'')
*'' Port of Shadows'', directed by Marcel Carné
Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include '' Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), '' The Devil's Envoys ...
(1938, based on the novel ''Le Quai des brumes'')
*', directed by Roger Richebé
Roger Richebé (3 December 1897, Marseille - 10 July 1989 in Ville-d'Avray), born Roger Gustave Richebé, was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Selected filmography
* ' (1930) (producer)
* '' La donna di una notte'' (1930) (pr ...
(1939, based on the novel ''La Tradition de minuit'')
*''Marguerite de la nuit
''Marguerite de la nuit'' (US title: ''Marguerite of the Night'') is a 1955 French language motion picture fantasy drama directed by Claude Autant-Lara, and written by Ghislaine Autant-Lara (screenplay & dialogue) and Gabriel Arout (adaptation), b ...
'', directed by Claude Autant-Lara
Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director and later Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Biography
Born at Luzarches in Val-d'Oise, Autant-Lara was educated in France and at London's Mill Hill Sc ...
(1955, based on the novel ''Marguerite de la nuit'')
Screenwriter
*''L'Inhumaine
''L'Inhumaine'' ("the inhuman woman") is a 1924 French science fiction drama film directed by Marcel L'Herbier. It has the subtitle ''histoire féerique'' ("fairy story", "story of enchantment"). ''L'Inhumaine'' is notable for its experimental ...
'', directed by Marcel L'Herbier
Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...
(1924)
*', directed by Georges Monca
Georges Monca ( 23 October 1867 – 26 December 1939) was a French film director. He was extremely prolific, making nearly four hundred films during his career - mainly during the silent era. His shorts ''Rigadin Directeur de Cinéma'' and ''Ri ...
and (1937)
* ''Voyage Without Hope
''Voyage Without Hope'' (French: ''Voyage sans espoir'') is a French 1943 French crime drama film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Simone Renant, Jean Marais and Paul Bernard. It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Paris. The film's ...
'', directed by Christian-Jaque
Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), '' ...
(1943)
*''François Villon
François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these ...
'', directed by André Zwoboda
André Zwoboda (1910–1994) was a French screenwriter, producer and film director.Rège p.476
Selected filmography
Director
* '' Life Belongs to Us'' (1936)
*''Farandole'' (1945)
* ''François Villon'' (1945)
* '' The Seventh Door'' (1947)
* ...
(1945)
References
External links
* Alexis Lykiard
"Mac Orlan"
(brief biography)
*Andy Merrifielod
"The Strange Odyssey of Pierre Mac Orlan"
The Brooklyn Rail, 1 September 2004. Notes on Mac Orlan by Guy Debord biographer
Bureau of Public Secrets, References to Mac Orlan's popular songs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Orlan, Pierre
1882 births
1970 deaths
People from Péronne, Somme
Writers from Hauts-de-France
Lyricists
20th-century French novelists
People of Montmartre
French military personnel of World War I