Marcel Brion (; 21 November 1895 – 23 October 1984) was a French essayist, literary critic, novelist, and historian.
Early life
The son of a lawyer, Brion was classmates in
Thiers with
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 ...
and
Albert Cohen. After completing his secondary education in
Collège Champittet, Switzerland, he studied law at the University of
Aix-en-Provence.
Career
Counsel to the bar of Marseille between 1920 and 1924, he abandoned his legal career to turn to literature.
Brion wrote nearly a hundred books in his career, ranging from historical biography to examinations of Italian and German art, and turning later in life to novels. His most famous collection of stories is the 1942 ''Les Escales de la Haute Nuit'' ("The Shore Leaves of the Deepest Night"). An essay of Brion appears in ''
'', the important 1929 critical appreciation of
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
's ''
Finnegans Wake
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction which combines a bod ...
''.
He was a friend of the philosopher
Xavier Tilliette
Xavier Tilliette (23 July 1921, Corbie, Somme (department), Somme – 10 December 2018, Paris) was a French philosopher, History of philosophy, historian of philosophy, and theologian. A former student of Jean Wahl and of Vladimir Jankélévitch, ...
.
In 1964, Brion was elected to the
Académie française's
chair 33, replacing his friend
Jean-Louis Vaudoyer. Other distinctions include membership in the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
, the
Croix de guerre, a Grand Officer in the French
Order of Merit, and an Officer of the ''
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres''.
The 1982 television program ''
The Romantic Spirit,'' which aired in the U.S. on the
A&E (TV channel) from 1985–1991, credits Brion as having "devised" the series.
French language publications
Arts and literature
* ''Giotto'', Rieder, 1928
* ''Turner'', Rieder, 1929
* ''Botticelli'', Crès, 1932
* ''Klee'', Somogy, 1955
* ''Kandinsky'', Somogy, 1960
* '' L'Œuvre de
Balzac'', 16 volumes,
Classiques-CFL, 1950-1953
* ''
Fabrizio Clerici
Fabrizio Clerici (15 May 1913 – 7 June 1993) was an Italian painter.
Biography
Clerici was a complex and eclectic artist and was also an architect, costume designer, scenographer and photographer. His works were exhibited in many museums ...
'', Milan, Electra Editrice, 1955
* ''L'Allemagne romantique'', 4 vol., Albin Michel :
** Vol. I - ''
Kleist Kleist, or von Kleist, is a surname.
von Kleist:
*August von Kleist (1818–1890), Prussian Major General
*Conrad von Kleist (1839-1900), German politician (German Conservative Party), member of Reichstag
*Ewald Georg von Kleist (ca. 1700–1748), ...
,
Brentano Brentano is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Antonie Brentano, philanthropist
* August Brentano, bookseller
* Bernard von Brentano, novelist
* Christian Brentano, German writer
* Clemens Brentano, poet and novelist ...
,
Wackenroder
Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder (13 July 1773 – 13 February 1798) was a German jurist and writer. With Ludwig Tieck and the Schlegel brothers, he has co-founded the German Romanticism.
Life
Wackenroder was born in Berlin. He was a close friend o ...
,
Tieck Tieck may refer to:
*Christian Friedrich Tieck (1776–1851), German sculptor
* Dorothea Tieck (1799–1841), German translator
*Ludwig Tieck (1773–1853), German poet
** 8056 Tieck, asteroid named after Ludwig Tieck
** Schlegel-Tieck Prize, litera ...
,
Caroline von Günderode'', 1962
** Vol. II - ''
Novalis
Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure of ...
,
Hoffmann
Hoffmann is a German language, German surname.
People A
*Albert Hoffmann (horticulturist), Albert Hoffmann (1846–1924), German horticulturist
*Alexander Hoffmann (politician), Alexander Hoffmann (born 1975), German politician
*Arthur Hoffmann ...
,
Jean-Paul,
Eichendorff
Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff (10 March 178826 November 1857) was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism.Cf. J. A. Cuddon: '' ...
'', 1963
** Vol. III - ''Le Voyage initiatique'' - 1, 1977 ; . Table : ''Le Voyage initiatique'', Thème ; Variations ; ''Pressentiment et Présence'' de
Joseph von Eichendorff
Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff (10 March 178826 November 1857) was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism.Cf. J. A. Cuddon: ' ...
; ''La Loge invisible'' de
Jean-Paul ; ''Les Voyages de Franz Sternbald'' de
Ludwig Tieck
Johann Ludwig Tieck (; ; 31 May 177328 April 1853) was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Early life
Tieck was born in B ...
; ''Heinrich von Ofterdingen'' de
Novalis
Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure of ...
; ''Le Voyage en Orient'' de
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual's ...
** Vol. IV - ''Le Voyage initiatique'' - 2, 1978
* ''Venise'', Albin Michel 1962
* ''L'Art romantique'', Hachette, 1963
* ''L'Âge d'or de la peinture hollandaise'', Elsevier, 1964
* ''L'Œil, l'esprit et la main du peintre'', Plon, 1966
* ''Peinture romantique'', Albin Michel, 1967
* ''La Grande Aventure de la peinture religieuse'', Perrin, 1968
* ''Rembrandt'', Albin Michel, 1969
* ''Titien'', Somogy, 1971
* ''
Guardi
Francesco Lazzaro Guardi (; 5 October 1712 – 1 January 1793) was an Italian painter, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School. He is considered to be among the last practitioners, along with his brothers, of the classic Venetian school of ...
'', Henri Scrépel, 1976
* ''
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...
'', Albin Michel, 1982
* ''Robert Schumann et l'âme romantique'', Albin Michel, 1954
* ''Paul Cézanne'', Bordas, 1988
* ''Art fantastique'', Albin Michel 1989
* ''
Michel-Ange'', Albin Michel, 1995
* ''Léonard de Vinci'', Albin Michel, 1995
* ''Mozart'', Perrin, 2006
* ''Le Théâtre des esprits'', préface d'Agnès Brion et note liminaire de Patrick Brion, La tour verte, 2011
Biographies
* ''Bartolomé de Las Casas, Père des Indiens'', Plon, 1928
* ''La Vie d'Attila'', Gallimard, 1928
* ''Rudyard Kipling'', Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue critique, 1929
* ''Théodoric, roi des Ostrogoths'', Payot, 1935 ; 1979
*''La reine Jeanne'', Société des bibliophiles de Provence, 1936; 1944 (Robert Laffont)
* ''Laurent le Magnifique'', Albin Michel, 1937
* ''Blanche de Castille'', Les éditions de France, 1939
* ''Machiavel'', Albin Michel, 1948
* ''Frédéric II de Hohenstaufen'', Tallandier, 1948
* ''Le Pape et le Prince - Les Borgia'', Hachette, 1953
* ''Tamerlan'', Albin Michel, 1999
* ''Charles le Téméraire, grand-duc d'Occident'', Hachette, 1947. Réédition : Tallandier, 2006
compte rendu en ligne
* ''Les Amantes'' courts essais sur
Diotima -
Alcoforado -
Frédérique Brion - Charlotte Stieglitz et
Louise Labé
Louise Charlin Perrin Labé, ( 1524 – 25 April 1566), also identified as La Belle Cordière (The Beautiful Ropemaker), was a feminist French poet of the Renaissance born in Lyon, the daughter of wealthy ropemaker Pierre Charly and his second wif ...
, Albin Michel, 1941
History
* ''Les Mondes antiques'', Arthème Fayard, 1954 ; Tallandier, 1977. 9 volumes : ''L'Égypte'' (1 et 2), ''L'Orient'' (3), ''Les Hébreux'' (4), ''La Grèce'' (5 et 6), ''Rome'' (7 à 9)
Novels
* ''Le Caprice espagnol'' (Gallimard nrf, 1929)
* ''La Folie Céladon'' (Éditions Correa, 1935, Albin Michel 1963, et livre de Poche, 1989)
* ''Les Escales de la haute nuit'', nouvelles, (Laffont, 1942, réédite bibliothèque Marabout, 1971, puis Albin Michel, 1986)
* ''Un enfant de la terre et du ciel'' (Albin Michel, 1943)
* ''Château d'ombre'' (Luf, 1943, puis Albin Michel, 1960)
* ''L’Enchanteur'' (Luf, 1947)
* ''La Chanson de l'Oiseau étranger'' (Albin Michel, 1958)
* ''La Ville de sable'', (Albin Michel, 1959)
* ''La Rose de cire'' (Albin Michel, 1964)
* ''De l'autre côté de la forêt'' (Albin Michel, 1966)
* ''Les Miroirs et les gouffres'' (Albin Michel, 1968)
* ''L’Ombre d’un arbre mort'' (Albin Michel, 1970)
* ''Nous avons traversé la montagne'' (Albin Michel, 1972)
* ''La Fête de la tour des âmes'' (Albin Michel, 1974)
* ''Algues - fragment d'un journal intime'' (Albin Michel, 1976)
* ''Les Vaines Montagnes'' (Albin Michel, 1985)
* ''Le Journal d’un visiteur'' (Albin Michel, 1980)
* ''Villa des hasards'' (Albin Michel, 1984)
* ''Ivre d’un rêve héroïque et brutal'' (de Fallois, 2014)
English language publications
*''Pompeii & Herculaneum: The glory and the grief.''
*''Albrecht Dürer'', '
The World of Art Library' series
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brion, Marcel
1895 births
1984 deaths
Writers from Marseille
Members of the Académie Française
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite
Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
French male writers
20th-century French male writers
Collège Champittet alumni