Pierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan (born Pierre Dumarchey, February 26, 1882 – June 27, 1970), was a French novelist and songwriter. His novel '' Quai des Brumes'' was the source for

Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), '' The Devil's Envoys ...

's 1938 film of the same name, starring

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), '' La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ...

. He was also a prolific writer of ''chansons'', many of which were recorded and popularized by French singers such as

Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...

Monique Morelli Monique is a female given name. It is the French form of the name Monica. The name has enjoyed some popularity in the United States since about 1955, and is less common in other English-speaking countries except for Canada although mostly use ...

Catherine Sauvage Catherine Sauvage (26 May 1929 – 20 March 1998) was a French singer and actress. Early life Born Marcelle Jeanine Saunier in Nancy, France, she moved with her family in 1940 to the Free Zone in Annecy. After high school, she turned to the t ...

, and

Germaine Montero Germaine Montero (1909–2000) was a French singer and a stage, television and film actress.Conway p.87 Partial filmography * '' Sapho'' (1934) - Madame Sombreuse * '' The Sin of Rogelia Sanchez'' (1940) - Rogelia Sanchez * '' Saint Rogelia'' (1 ...

Life

Born in

Péronne, Somme Péronne () is a commune of the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is close to where the 1916, first 1918 and second 1918 Battles of the Somme took place during the First World War. The Museum of the Great War (kno ...

, in northern France, Mac Orlan lived in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

as a young man, working at a variety of jobs and learning to play the

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a ree ...

. In his twenties, he travelled widely in Europe, before returning to Paris and becoming a noted figure in

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

art circles. In particular, his song performances were a regular feature at the

Lapin Agile Lapin Agile is a famous Montmartre cabaret, at 22 Rue des Saules, 18th arrondissement of Paris, France. History It existed circa 1860 under the name Au rendez-vous des voleurs meaning "Where the Thieves Meet." Some twenty years later the ...

cabaret. During this period, he was part of a broad circle of writers and painters including Max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire,

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (), born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955), was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. Born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous pain ...

and Francis Carco. He fought in the war against Germany until wounded in 1916, after which he worked as a war correspondent. In later years he earned a living as a writer in Saint Cyr-sur-Morin, outside Paris. In the late 1920s he became an influential critic of film and photography, writing important essays about the work of

Eugène Atget Eugène Atget (; 12 February 1857 – 4 August 1927) was a French '' flâneur'' and a pioneer of documentary photography, noted for his determination to document all of the architecture and street scenes of Paris before their disappearance to m ...

, Germaine Krull and others.

Works

In addition to '' Quai des Brumes'', his many novels included '' A Bord de l'Etoile Matutine'', translated into English by

Malcolm Cowley Malcolm Cowley (August 24, 1898 – March 27, 1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. His best known works include his first book of poetry, ''Blue Juniata'' (1929), his lyrical memoir, ''Exile's Return' ...

as '' On Board the Morning Star'', and '' La Bandera'' (1931). Among the popular ''chansons'' written by Mac Orlan are "Fille de Londres", "Le Pont du Nord" and "Nelly". The French singer

released an extensive set of her interpretations of Mac Orlan songs on the CD ''Meilleur de Germaine Montero''. Most recently, new English translations of his books "A Handbook for the Perfect Adventurer," translated by Napoleon Jeffries (2013), and "Mademoiselle Bambù," translated by Chris Clarke (2017), have been published in the United States by Wakefield Press. Using his real name, Pierre Dumarchey, and various pseudonyms including: Docteur Fowler, Pierre du Bourdel, Pierre de Jusange, Sadie Blackeyes, Chevalier de X, and Sadinet, he was for several years a writer of pornographic novels, which frequently depicted

flagellation Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...

and

sado-masochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refe ...

. These titles include: ''La Comtesse au fouet'' (1908), the story of a cruel

dominatrix A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...

, ''Les Grandes Flagellées de l'histoire'' (1909), ''Lise Fessée'' (1910), ''Masochism in America'' (1910), ''Miss'' (1912), and ''Petite dactylo et autres textes de flagellation'' (1913). He told Pascal Pia that he used the Dumarchey name to upset an uncle of his who made his life hard.

Influences and legacy

The French writer and political theorist

Guy Debord Guy-Ernest Debord (; ; 28 December 1931 – 30 November 1994) was a French Marxist theorist, philosopher, filmmaker, critic of work, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situation ...

, founder of the

Situationist International The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution ...

was a constant reader of Mac Orlan's novels of urban adventure and "low life". The well-known photographer of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the 1930s

Berenice Abbott Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) was an American photographer best known for her portraits of between-the-wars 20th century cultural figures, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and ...

was highly influenced by Mac Orlan's writings on the "fantastique" and the "social fantastique". The physicist Freeman Dyson, in his 2008 AMS Albert Einstein Lecture, interprets MacOrlan's song "La Ville Morte" ("The Dead City") as an example of the "empty city archetype", a Jungian archetype as described by mathematician Yuri I. Manin.

Filmography

*'' La Bandera'', directed by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are '' La Bandera'', ''Pépé le Moko' ...

(1935, based on the novel '' La Bandera'') *''

Port of Shadows ''Port of Shadows'' (french: Le Quai des brumes , "The dock of mists") is a 1938 French film directed by Marcel Carné. An example of poetic realism, it stars Jean Gabin, Michel Simon and Michèle Morgan. The screenplay was written by Jacque ...

'', directed by

(1938, based on the novel ''Le Quai des brumes'') *', directed by Roger Richebé (1939, based on the novel ''La Tradition de minuit'') *'' Marguerite de la nuit'', directed by

Claude Autant-Lara Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director and later Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Biography Born at Luzarches in Val-d'Oise, Autant-Lara was educated in France and at London's Mill Hill Sc ...

(1955, based on the novel ''Marguerite de la nuit'')

Screenwriter

*'' L'Inhumaine'', directed by Marcel L'Herbier (1924) *', directed by Georges Monca and (1937) * ''

Voyage Without Hope ''Voyage Without Hope'' (French: ''Voyage sans espoir'') is a French 1943 French crime drama film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Simone Renant, Jean Marais and Paul Bernard. It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Paris. The film's ...

'', directed by

Christian-Jaque Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), ''M ...

(1943) *''

François Villon François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these e ...

'', directed by

André Zwoboda André Zwoboda (1910–1994) was a French screenwriter, film producer, producer and film director.Rège p.476 Selected filmography Director * ''Life Belongs to Us'' (1936) *''Farandole (film), Farandole'' (1945) * ''François Villon (film), Fran ...

(1945)

References

External links

Alexis Lykiard Alexis Lykiard (born 1940) is a British writer of Greek heritage, who began his prolific career as novelist and poet in the 1960s. His poems about jazz have received particular acclaim, including from Maya Angelou, Hugo Williams, Roy Fisher, ...

"Mac Orlan"
(brief biography) *Andy Merrifielod
"The Strange Odyssey of Pierre Mac Orlan"
The Brooklyn Rail, 1 September 2004. Notes on Mac Orlan by Guy Debord biographer

Bureau of Public Secrets, References to Mac Orlan's popular songs {{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Orlan, Pierre 1882 births 1970 deaths People from Péronne, Somme Writers from Hauts-de-France Lyricists 20th-century French novelists People of Montmartre French military personnel of World War I