René Ernest Joseph Eugène Étiemble (26 January 1909 in

Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et ...

– 7 January 2002 in Vigny) was an

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

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 ...

, and promoter of

Middle Eastern The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n cultures. Known commonly by his family name alone, Etiemble held the coveted Chair of Comparative Literature, in 1955, at the Institute of General and Comparative Literature in the pre-1968 Sorbonne University and continued in his post as a tenured Professor (and after retirement in September 1978 as an Honorary Professor) at the Sorbonne-Nouvelle University from 1956 to 1978. His doctoral dissertation on the Myth of

Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

and his many interpreters world-wide won him fame in 1952. However, one critic thinks Étiemble's derisive tone and some ill-founded conjectures about Rimbaud's later life undermine the book's credibility today. During World War II, he taught at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and was attached to the Office of War Information in New York in 1943. After the War, he taught French literature at the University of Alexandria, from 1944 to 1948, and thereafter at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest univ ...

, France. He was the author of some sixty works (and edited the celebrated UNESCO Oriental Series for Gallimard publishers) Among his more popular works: ''Connaissez-vous la Chine?'' (''Do you know China?''), Gallimard 1964, and ''Quarante ans de mon maoïsme'' (1934-1974) (''Forty years of my Maoism'') Gallimard 1976. He enjoyed a formidable reputation as a literary critic and daring polemicist, recognition for which came late in the guise of an official prize from the French Academy. He also published three novels, one of which ''Blason d'un corps''. aris: Editions Gallimard, 1961is still remembered and read avidly. He is also remembered for his translations of

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

's works into French. In his youth, a militant communist and anti-fascist, he became interested in the Chinese communist movement. Together with the Chinese poet

Dai Wangshu Dai Wangshu (; March 5, 1905 – February 28, 1950), also Tai Van-chou, was a Chinese poet, essayist and translator active from the late 1920s to the end of the 1940s. A native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, he graduated from the Aurora University, Shang ...

戴望舒 (1905-1950) he produced a number of translations of the works of left-wing Chinese writers and published these in a special issue of ''Commune'' (February 1934), organ of the French anti-fascist writers' and artists' association (

Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires The (AEAR) was a French association of revolutionary artists and writers active between 1932 and 1939. An association of the same name was formed in 2006. The AEAR was founded by communist and communist-sympathizing writers in March 1932 as the ...

). In his later years, he was a vehement defender of human rights and his book detailing and denouncing the increasing anglicization of the French language, ''Parlez-vous franglais?'' (''Do you speak Franglais?''),Gallimard, (1964, 1991) attracted a wide readership. In 1988, he was awarded the

Balzan Prize The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the br ...

for comparative literature.

References

Who's Who in France ''Who's Who in France'' is a biographical dictionary published in France and written in French. In France it is simply "le ''Who's Who''". History The first edition of ''Who's Who in France'' was published in 1953 by Jacques Lafitte. In 197 ...

br>on line (free). Retrieved on 16 February 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etiemble, Rene 1909 births People from Mayenne 2002 deaths 20th-century French writers Linguists from France French literary theorists Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni École Normale Supérieure alumni French Maoists University of Chicago faculty Academic staff of the University of Paris French sinologists Prix Sainte-Beuve winners 20th-century linguists