Gérard Oberlé (born 27 November 1945,

Saverne Saverne (, ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a mountain pass, pass ...

) is a French writer and bibliographer.

Origin and biography

Born in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, of parents from

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

originating from Dabo where his grandfather was a clog maker, Gérard Oberlé spent there his summers. An adolescent in Switzerland by the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

s at

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

, then a student in classical literature in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and The Sorbonne, he became an auxiliary master of Latin and ancient Greek in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

, but must quickly leave teaching.

Ancient books

In 1967–1968, he became a bookseller of

used book A used book or secondhand book is a book which has been owned before by an owner other than the publisher or retailer, usually by an individual or library. Sales Used books typically become available on the market when they are sold or given t ...

s, after reading a small advertisement. In 1971 he opened his own shop. He has lived since 1976 in a manor house of

Nivernais Nivernais (, ) was a province of France, around the city of Nevers, which forms the modern department of Nièvre. It roughly coincides with the former Duchy of Nevers.peddler literature, roman noir, literary cranks, or else neo-Latin poetry in Europe from the XVIth to the XIXe. He is an expert at the Court of Appeal of

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

, an expert approved by the National Company of Experts. Passionate about humanism and scholarship, he has, in his researches and works, given priority to works ignored by the culture officially taught (among which , author, in 1594, of ''Mépris de la vie''): The baroque poets, the bizarre,

paraliterature Paraliterature comprises written works dismissed as not literary fiction, literary. It includes commercial fiction, popular fiction, pulp magazine, pulp fiction, comic books and, most notably, genre fiction with works of science fiction, fantasy, M ...

, the little romantics, and so on. He has reprinted the ''Légendes et chants de gestes canaques'' by

Louise Michel Louise Michel (; 29 May 1830 – 9 January 1905) was a teacher and prominent figure during the Paris Commune. Following her penal transportation to New Caledonia she began to embrace anarchism, and upon her return to France she emerged as an im ...

, as well as various other forgotten works. As an editor, he published collections by , ,

Jean-Claude Carrière Jean-Claude Carrière (; 17 September 1931 – 8 February 2021) was a French novelist, screenwriter and actor. He received an Academy Award for best short film for co-writing '' Heureux Anniversaire'' (1963), and was later conferred an Honorar ...

, John Roman Baker, ,

Jean-Pierre Luminet Jean-Pierre Luminet (born 3 June 1951) is a French astrophysicist, specializing in black holes and cosmology. He is an emeritus research director at the CNRS ( Centre national de la recherche scientifique). Luminet is a member of the Laboratoir ...

and

Jules Roy Jules Roy (22 October 1907 – 15 June 2000) was a French writer. "Prolific and polemical" Roy, born an Algerian pied noir and sent to a Roman Catholic seminary, used his experiences in the French colony and during his service in the Royal Air F ...

Literature and bibliography

In 1989, the Éditions Belfond published his ''Les Fastes de Bacchus et de Comus'', a bibliographic catalog of an important collection of

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between Human food, food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well ver ...

books. In 1992, he wrote the catalog Kilian Fritsch, a book collector on wine and oenology, whose library was scattered during a sale organized by Guy Loudmer in 1993. In 2000, he became a writer, his first novel was a detective one. He is also a chronicler at

France Musique France Musique () is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on classical music and jazz. History The channel was lau ...

. in the américan magazine ''

Men's Journal ''Men's Journal'' was an American men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and gear. It was founded in 1992 by Jann Wenner of ...

'' and '' Lire'' and since 2012 at ''Lire''Fiche journaliste
on the website of ''L’Express''. He has a correspondence with

Jim Harrison James Harrison (December 11, 1937 – March 26, 2016) was an American poet, novelist, and essayist. He was a prolific and versatile writer publishing over three dozen books in several genres including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, children's lit ...

which partly appeared in ''Raw and the Cooked: Adventures of a Roving Gourmand'' in 2001.

Publications

*1972: ''De

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...

… à Jean Ray : l’évolution du roman noir, gothique et frénétique'', Manoir de Pron *1983: ''La

Bibliothèque bleue A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a ...

: livres de colportage du XVIIe au XIXe siècle'',

Montigny-sur-Canne Montigny-sur-Canne () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. See also *Communes of the Nièvre department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may ...

, Manoir de Pron *1985: ''Fous à lire, fous à lier : ouvrages écrits par des hétéroclites, fous littéraires, autodidactes, bizarres et autres'', Manoir de Pron *1986: ''La Bibliothèque Bleue en Normandie (with a notice on ) : livres de colportage de

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

du XVIIe au XIXe siècle'', Manoir de Pron *1988: ''Les Poètes néo-latins en Europe du XIe au XXe siècle'', Manoir de Pron *1988: ''

: légendes et chants de gestes canaques'', présentation édition 1900 *1989: ''Les Fastes de Bacchus et de Comus, ou histoire du boire et du manger en Europe de l'Antiquité à nos jours, à travers les livres'', Paris, Éditions Belfond, (1181 volumes described with bibliographical, historical, anecdotal information) *1992 ''Hécatongraphie'', Manoir de Pron *1992: ''Une bibliothèque bachique : collection Kilian Fritsch'', Loudmer *1993: ''

Léon Cladel Léon Cladel (Montauban, 22 March 1834 – 21 July 1892, Sèvres) was a French novelist. The son of an artisan, he studied law at Toulouse and became a solicitor's clerk in Paris. Cladel made a limited reputation by his first book, ''Les Ma ...

, le rural écarlate 1835–1892 : livres, correspondances et manuscrits ; notices by Pierre Saunier'', Manoir de Pron *1996: ''

Auguste Poulet-Malassis Paul Emmanuel Auguste Poulet-Malassis (16 March 1825 – 11 February 1878) was a French printer and publisher who lived and worked in Paris. He was a longstanding friend and the printer-publisher of Charles Baudelaire. Biography In his short six ...

, un imprimeur sur le Parnasse : ses ancêtres, ses auteurs, ses amis, ses écrits'', Montigny-sur-Canne, Manoir de Pron, et Imprimerie Alençonnaise *2000: ''Nil Rouge'',

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003, it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by G ...

*2000: ''Pera Palas'', Le Cherche-midi *2002: ''Palomas Canyon'', Le Cherche-midi *2002: ''Bibliothèque bachique de M. Bernard Chwartz'', Books and ancient and modern documents on wine, viticulture and

oenology Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

, Paris *2002: ''Salami'',

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. ...

, (in collab. with Hans Gissinger) *2003: ''La vie est un tango'', collection of his chronicles broadcast on France Musique from 2001 to 2003,

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, second wife of Camille Flammarion * Sylvie Flammarion (1836-1919), French feminist and paci ...

*2004: ''Retour à Zornhof'', Grasset et Fasquelle, (

Prix des Deux Magots The Prix des Deux Magots () is a major French literary prize. It is presented to new works, and is generally awarded to works that are more off-beat and less conventional than those that receive the more mainstream Prix Goncourt. The name derives ...

) *2005: ''Passion-Livre, Gérard Oberlé : exposition médiathèque Jean-Jaurès - Nevers, 26 November 2005 – 14 January 2006''.- Nevers : Bibliothèque Municipale de Nevers *2006: ''Itinéraire spiritueux'', Grasset et Fasquelle *2007: ', collection of chronics broadcast on France Musique from 2003 to 2004,

Éditions Grasset Éditions Grasset () is a French publishing house founded in 1907 by (1881–1955). Grasset publishes French and foreign literature, essays, novels and children's books, among others. Bernard Grasset sold ownership of the company to Hachette ...

*2009: ''Mémoires de Marc-Antoine Muret'', Grasset et Fasquelle *2012: ''Émilie, une aventure épistolaire'', Grasset et Fasquelle *2016: ''Bonnes nouvelles de Chassignet'', Grasset et Fasquelle, - Finalist of the

Prix Alexandre-Vialatte Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who a ...

)

References

External links

Gérard Oberlé
on Babelio

on ''

L'Express (, stylized in all caps) is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre-right in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''R� ...

''
''GERARD OBERLÉ PARCOURS ROMANESQUE''
on ''

L'Humanité (; ) is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organisation of the SFIO, ''de facto'', and thereafter of the French Communist Party (PCF), and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, would not exist." History ...

'' (5 June 1999)
''Itinéraire spiritueux'' by Gérard Oberlé
on Cepdivin.org (11 July 2013)
Oeuvre littéraire de Gérard Oberlé
on Librairie du Manoir de Pron * "L'interview de Gérard Oberlé", ''

Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace ''Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace'', commonly known as ''DNA'', is a regional daily French newspaper covering the Alsace region. History and profile ''DNA'' was created in November 1877 as ''Neueste Nachrichten'' by German Heinrich Ludwig K ...

'', 10 March 2012
first
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parts {{DEFAULTSORT:Oberle, Gerard 20th-century French non-fiction writers 21st-century French non-fiction writers Prix des Deux Magots winners French bibliographers French bibliophiles 1945 births People from Saverne Living people