François Augiéras (18 July 1925 – 13 December 1971) was an American-born French painter and writer.Robert Aldrich, ''Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day'', Routledge, 2000, pp. 22-2

/ref>Manohla Dargis
Following an Artist’s Footsteps in the Sand
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 30, 2012Jay Weissberg
The Double Steps
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Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', September 26, 2011

Biography

François Augiéras was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, two months after his father's death. His father taught the piano at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

. He moved to France (Paris and later

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

) with his mother. At the age of fourteen, he left home and started on a nomadic life. In 1944, he joined the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

. He spent some time in a

psychiatric asylum A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with c ...

and in a monastery. He later moved to

El Goléa El Menia () is an oasis town and commune, and capital of El Ménia District, in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The former name is El Goléa (); together in Arabic, the two names mean ''Impregnable Castle''. According to the 2008 census it has a ...

, where his uncle lived. His first novel, ''The Old Man and the Child'', is loosely based on the avuncular rapport that ensued. His novels deal with

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

sadism Sadism may refer to: * Everyday sadism, the derivation of gratification from the physical pain or humiliation of another person * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliatio ...

and even bestiality. They also describe his trips to

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...

acted as one of his mentors. He died in a public hospital in Dordogne in 1971.

Bibliography

*''The Old Man and the Child'' (1954) *''Zirara'' (1957) *''Le Voyage des morts'' (1959) *''Une adolescence au temps du Maréchal et de multiples aventures'' (1968) *''Un voyage au Mont Athos'' (1970) *'' Sorcerer's Apprentice'' (1964) *''Domme ou l'Essai d'occupation'' (1982) *''Les Barbares d'Occident'' (1990) *''Lettres à Paul Placet'' (2000) *''Le Diable ermite'' (2002) *''La Chasse fantastique'' (2005)

Legacy

*The ''Association François Augiéras'' is headquartered in

Domme, Dordogne Domme (; ) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is sometimes called the ''"Acropolis of the Périgord"''. Geography Domme is above sea level on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Dordogne rive ...

, France. *''The Double Steps'', a 2012 film directed by

Isaki Lacuesta Isaki Lacuesta (born 28 November 1975) is a Spanish film director from Catalonia. His work includes documentary film, narrative film and video art. Lacuesta was born into a family of Basque origin. He studied audiovisual communication at the Auto ...

, based on François Augiéras.

References

1925 births 1971 deaths Artists from Rochester, New York French erotica writers 20th-century French male writers French LGBTQ novelists 20th-century French novelists French male novelists Writers from Rochester, New York 20th-century French LGBTQ people {{NewYork-bio-stub