Pierre Seghers (5 January 1906, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 4 November 1987, in

Créteil Créteil () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, dep ...

) was a French

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he took part in the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

movement.

Career

He founded, among other things, the famous line of books ''Poètes d’aujourd’hui'' (''Contemporary poets'') in 1944, which published 270 books of poets both famous and unknown (such as an anthology of modern accursed poets in 1972, '' Poètes maudits d'aujourd'hui: 1946-1970''). Together with François Lachenal, Paul Eluard and Jean Lescure, he gathered in 1943, the texts of many poets of the French Resistance, which he published in Les Editions de Minuit under the title: ''L’honneur des poètes''. Among the prizes and orders he received, he was made a commander of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and in 1976 Laureate Of The International Botev Prize. He was doctor ''honoris causa'' of Saint Andrews University, Scotland. He is buried at the

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...

. An exhibition on his life and work took place in the Musée du Montparnasse in Paris in 2011. A detailed catalogue was then published.

Bibliography

Poetry * ''Bonne-Espérance'', Éditions de la Tour, 1939 * ''Pour les quatre saisons'', Poésie 42 * ''Le chien de pique'', Ides et Calendes, 1943 * ''Le domaine public'' Poésie 45 et Pariseau Montréal * ''Jeune fille'', Éditions Seghers, 1947 * ''Menaces de mort'', La presse à bras, 1948 * ''Six poèmes pour Véronique'', Poésie 50 * ''Poèmes choisis'', Éditions Seghers, 1952 * ''Le Cœur-Volant'', Les Écrivains réunis, 1954 * ''Racines'', Interc. du Livre, 1956 * ''Les pierres'', Interc. du Livre, 1956 * ''Chansons et complaintes'', Tome I, illustrated by Jean Pierre Serrier, Éditions Seghers, 1959 * ''Chansons et complaintes'', Tome II, Éditions Seghers, 1961 * ''Piranèse'', Éditions Ides et Calendes, 1961 * ''Chansons et complaintes'', Tome III, Éditions Seghers, 1964 * ''Dialogue'', 1965 * ''Dis-moi, Ma vie'', 1973 * ''Le Temps des merveilles'', Éditions Seghers, 1978 Prose * ''Richaud du Combat'', A. A. M. Stols, 1944 * ''L'Homme du commun'',Poèsie 44 * ''Considérations, ou Histoires sous la langue'', Collection des 150 * ''La Résistance et ses poètes, 1940-1945'', Seghers 1974

References

External links

Publishing house homepage

Biography of Seghers, in French

''Video :'' Pierre Seghers
in 1967, he is interviewed (in French) about his new collection Poètes d’aujourd’hui. Archive of the Télévision suisse romande Poets from Paris 1906 births 1987 deaths French editors Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery 20th-century French poets French male poets Prix Guillaume Apollinaire winners Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commanders of the Legion of Honour 20th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers {{France-poet-stub