Abel Hermant (3 February 1862 – 29 September 1950) was a French novelist, playwright, essayist and writer, and member of the Académie française.

Life and career

Hermant was born in Paris, the son of an architect. He received a degree from the

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, S ...

in 1880, and published his first volume of verse in 1883, ''The Contempt''. After several youthful novels, he moved to ironic analysis of the popular mores of the Belle Époque and achieved popular success. His first semi-autobiographical novel, ''Monsieur Rabosson'' of 1884, established his reputation as a satirical social observer. Its follow-up ''Le Cavalier Miserey'' of 1887, dealt with the issue of homosexuals in the military. Between 1901 and 1937 Hermant embarked on a series of 20 linked novels with the general title ''Memoirs to Serve for a History of Society'', but his contributions to literature included many popular plays, drama criticism for ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...

'' and ''

Gil Blas ''Gil Blas'' (french: L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane ) is a picaresque novel by Alain-René Lesage published between 1715 and 1735. It was highly popular, and was translated several times into English, most notably as The Adventures of G ...

'', and a series of grammarian articles for ''Le Temps'' under the name "Lancelot" defending the purity of the French language. By 1899 Hermant was well-connected in society; for instance he was the guest of

Anna de Noailles Anna, Comtesse Mathieu de Noailles (Anna Elisabeth Bibesco-Bassaraba de Brancovan) (15 November 1876 – 30 April 1933) was a French writer of Romanian and Greek descent, a poet and a socialist feminist. Biography Personal life Born Princess ...

Évian-les-Bains Évian-les-Bains (), or simply Évian ( frp, Èvian, , or ), is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 9,100. A high-market holid ...

, where he became friends with Marcel Proust. After a number of tries Hermant was elected to the Académie française on 30 June 1927. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Hermant's contributions to

Jean Luchaire Jean Luchaire (21 July 1901 – 22 February 1946) was a French journalist and politician who became the head of the French collaborationist press in Paris during the German military occupation. Luchaire supported the ''Révolution nationale'' d ...

's pro-Nazi evening daily newspaper ''Les Nouveaux Temps'', beginning in 1940, his open support of the

Vichy regime Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

, and his criticisms of the French Army, marked him as a collaborator. At over 80 years of age, he was sentenced to life in prison on 15 December 1945. Hermant achieved the negative distinction of being one of the four "immortals" removed from the Académie française after

for collaboration with Germany. Hermant and

Abel Bonnard Abel Bonnard (19 December 1883 31 May 1968) was a French poet, novelist and politician. Biography Born in Poitiers, Vienne, his early education was in Marseilles with secondary studies at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris. A student of literatu ...

were expelled outright, in disgrace;

Charles Maurras Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet, and critic. He was an organizer and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that is monarchist, anti-par ...

Action Française Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

and Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...

had their seats declared vacant and were not replaced until their deaths. Pardoned and released in 1948, Abel Hermant tried to justify his conduct during the Occupation in his ''Thirteenth Notebook''. He died shortly thereafter.

Works

* ''Ermeline—1796'' (1882–1890) * ''Les Mépris'' (1883) * ''M. Rabosson (l'éducation universitaire)'' (1884) * ''La Mission de Cruchod (Jean-Baptiste)'' (1885) * ''Le Cavalier Miserey'' (1887) * ''Nathalie Madoré'' (1888) * ''Amour de tête'' (1890) * ''Cœurs à part'' (1890) * ''Les Confidences d'une aïeule'' (1893) * ''Le Disciple aimé'' (1895) * ''Le Frisson de Paris'' (1895) * ''La Meute'' (1896) * ''Les Transatlantiques'' (1897) * ''Le Faubourg'' (1899) * ''Sylvie ou la Curieuse d'amour'' (1890) * ''Confession d'un homme d'aujourd'hui'' (1901–1929) * ''L'Archiduc Paul'' (1902) * ''L'Esbroufe'' (1904) * ''La Belle Madame Héber'' (1905) * ''Chaîne anglaise'' (1906) * ''Monsieur de Courpière'' (1907) * ''Les Affranchis'' (1908) * ''Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de la société. Chronique du cadet de Coutras'' (1909) * ''Le Premier Pas'' (1910) * ''La fameuse comédienne'' (1913) * ''Madame'' (1914) * ''Histoire amoureuse de Fanfan'' (1917) * ''Le crépuscule tragique'' (1921) * ''Le Cycle de Lord Chelsea'' (1923) * ''Xavier ou Les entretiens sur la grammaire française'' (1923) * ''Les Fortunes de Ludmilla'' (1924) * ''Les Confidences d'une biche'' (1924) * ''Les noces vénitiennes'' (1924) * ''Camille aux cheveux courts'' (1927) * ''Le Nouvel Anacharsis. Promenade au jardin des lettres grecques'' (1928) * ''Affaires de cœur'' (1934) * ''Poppée, l'Amante de l'Antéchrist'' (1935) * ''Une vie, trois guerres—Témoignages et souvenirs'' (1943) * ''Le Treizième Cahier: rêveries et souvenirs d'un philosophe proscrit'' (1949)

References

* Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature, by Jean Albert Bédé, William Benbow * Marcel Proust, by William C. Carter, p. 269

External links

*
Association des amis d'Abel Hermant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermant, Abel 1861 births 1950 deaths Writers from Paris Expelled members of the Académie Française French collaborators with Nazi Germany French theatre critics Grammarians from France 19th-century French novelists 20th-century French novelists 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French male novelists 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French male writers 20th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers Le Figaro people