Serge Groussard (18 January 1921 – 2 January 2016) was a French journalist and writer, the son of colonel Georges Groussard and Véra Bernstein-Woolbrunn.

Biography

Serge Groussard studied at the Calvin Institute in

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...

, at the

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

high school, and at the Lycée Gouraud in Rabat, Morocco. He later attended the Faculty of Arts and the Sciences Po, both in Paris. In September 1939, he volunteered for the duration of the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

and participated as a pupil infantry officer in the fighting on the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

. An information officer for the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, he was arrested in January 1943 by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

, sentenced to thirty years in prison, and deported to Germany. He recounted this experience in his first published work, ''Crépuscule des vivants'', in 1946. In 1953, Groussard was a military parachutist. From October 1956 to October 1957 and again in 1959, he served as lieutenant, then captain, in Algeria, to which he dedicated the narrative ''Écrivain''. His career was devoted to writing novels and stories, 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 ...

'' from 1954 to 1962 and ''

l'Aurore ''L’Aurore'' (; ) was a literary, liberal, and socialist newspaper published in Paris, France, from 1897 to 1914. Its most famous headline was Émile Zola's '' J'Accuse...!'' leading into his article on the Dreyfus Affair. The newspaper was ...

'' from 1962 to 1969.

Selected works

Groussard wrote twenty-five books, including twenty novels, eight of which were adapted to film: * ''Crépuscule des vivants'' (1946) * ''Pogrom'' (1948) * ''Solitude espagnole'', Prix International du Grand-Reportage, Prix Claude Blanchard (1948) * ''Des gens sans importance'', Prix Populiste (1949) – adapted to film under the title '' People of No Importance'' by

Henri Verneuil Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno International ...

(1956) * ''La Femme sans passé'',

Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French literary prize created in 1904 by 22 writers for the magazine '' La Vie heureuse'' (today known as '' Femina''). The prize is decided each year by an exclusively female jury. They reward French-language works writte ...

(1950) – adapted to film under the title '' The Passerby'' by

Henri Calef Henri Calef (20 July 1910 – 18 August 1994) was a French screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography Director * ''Jericho'' (1946) * ''The Royalists'' (1947) * ''Crossroads of Passion'' (1948) * '' Shadow and Light'' (1951) * '' ...

(1951) * ''Talya'' (1951) * ''Orage à Miami'' and ''L'Ancêtre'' (1954) * ''Un officier de tradition'' (1954) * ''Une chic fille, recueils de nouvelles'', Grand Prix de la Nouvelle (1956) * ''Demain est là'' (1956) * ''La Belle espérance'' (1958) * ''Quartier chinois'' (1958) * ''La Passion du Maure'' (1960) * ''Jeunesse sauvage'' (1960) * ''Mektoub'', Prix du roman populiste (1967) * ''Tu es soleil'' (1970) * ''Taxi de nuit'' (1971) * ''L'Algérie des adieux'' (1972) * ''La Médaille de sang'' (1973) * ''La Guerre oubliée'' (1974) * ''Les Cobras'' (1981)

Honours

Officier de la Légion d'honneur 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 ...

* Croix de guerre 1939-1945 *

Médaille de la Résistance The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...

Croix de la Valeur militaire The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

External links

Serge Groussard
on Who's Who? *
Serge Groussard
on INA.fr {{DEFAULTSORT:Groussard, Serge 20th-century French journalists French Resistance members 20th-century French writers 1921 births People from Niort Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Resistance Medal Sciences Po alumni École nationale d'administration alumni Prix Femina winners Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2016 deaths