Rita Barisse (12 May 1917 – 25 April 2001) was a British journalist, writer and translator. She was the second wife of the writer Jean Bruller, also known as Vercors, and collaborated with him on works released under that pen name.

Biography

Rita Barisse met her future husband at a

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internatio ...

banquet in Copenhagen in 1948, where she represented Britain. She married him in 1957 and subsequently accompanied him on their journeys. In Mexico in 1962 they were received by Dominique Eluard, wife of

Paul Eluard Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, with whom they collaborated on the project, ''To the Memory of the Martyr Fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto: Thirty-Five Drawings by Maurice Mendjisky - An Unpublished Poem by Paul Eluard - A Text by Vercors.'' As a journalist, Barisse wrote articles on art, theater and film. She donated her body to science.

Works

Rita Barisse is known for her collaboration in the works of her husband under the pen name Vercors. This includes the translation and adaptation of ''Why I ate my father'' by

Roy Lewis Roy Lewis (6 November 1913 – 9 October 1996) was an English writer and small press printer. Life and work Although born in Felixstowe, Lewis was brought up in Birmingham and educated at King Edward's School. After studying at Universit ...

, discovered by

Théodore Monod Théodore André Monod (9 April 1902 – 22 November 2000) was a French naturalist, humanist, scholar and explorer. Exploration Early in his career, Monod was made professor at the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle'' and founded the '' Inst ...

, and ''Oh! Hollywood'' by Christopher Hampton (1985). She is credited with adapting ''Monsieur La Souris'' written by

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

for the film '' Midnight Episode'' (1950). In 1954, she refused to translate the work of Andre Siegfried because of how the book dealt with the Jewish minority in the United States. Barisse provided English translation of the following Vercors works: *''Denatured Animals'' ( Macmillan & Company, 1954) *''The Silence of the Sea'' ( Frederick Muller, 1957) *''The Freedom of December'' ( GP Putnam's Sons, 1961) *''Sylva'' (GP Putnam's Sons, 1962) ( Hugo Award finalist, 1963) *''Quota'' (GP Putnam's Sons, 1966) *''The Battle of Silence'' (Collins, 1968) She was also responsible for other translations, including: *''

Angélique, the Marquise of the Angels ''Angélique, the Marquise of the Angels'' (french: Angélique, Marquise des Anges) is a 1956 novel by Anne Golon & Serge Golon, the first novel in Angélique series. Inspired by the life of Suzanne de Rougé du Plessis-Bellière, known as th ...

'' (1959) by

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

and Serge Golon *'' Angélique and the King'' (1959) by Anne Golon and Serge Golon *'' Zao Wou-Ki'' by Claude Roy (1959) *''

My Mother's Castle ''My Mother's Castle'' (french: Le Château de ma mère) is a 1957 autobiographical novel by Marcel Pagnol, the second in the four-volume series '' Souvenirs d'enfance'' and the sequel to '' My Father's Glory''. It was the subject of a film ma ...

'' (1957) by

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...

*''Childhood Memories'' by Marcel Pagnol (1962) *''The Time of the Secrets'' by Marcel Pagnol (1962) She was the author of: *"Theaters-clubs in London" *"Travel to America with Vercors (1961-1962)" *"Words of Vercors," preface (2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barisse, Rita 1917 births 2001 deaths 20th-century British journalists 20th-century British women writers British women journalists German emigrants to the United Kingdom