Jean-René Van der Plaetsen (born 9 August 1962) is a French journalist and writer. He is Deputy Managing Editor of ''

Le Figaro Magazine ''Le Figaro Magazine'' is a French language weekly news magazine published in Paris, France. The magazine is the weekly supplement of the daily newspaper and has been in circulation since 1978. History The magazine is the first supplement of ...

''. He has also been a member of the jury of the

Prix de Flore The Prix de Flore is a French literary prize founded in 1994 by Frédéric Beigbeder. The aim of the prize is to reward youthful authors and it is judged by a panel of journalists. It is awarded yearly in November, at the Café de Flore in Paris. T ...

since its creation in 1994.

Life

Born in

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi ( , ; former ; former ) is the second-largest Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital ...

, Republic of the Congo (former

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

), Van der Plaetsen studied at the

Lycée Janson-de-Sailly Lycée Janson-de-Sailly is a ''lycée'' located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. The ''lycéens'' of Janson are called ''les jansoniens'' and they usually refer to their high school as Janson, or JdS. It is the biggest academic inst ...

(Paris), the then at the Collège Saint-Sulpice (Paris). He holds a law degree from the

Paris Descartes University Paris Descartes University (), also known as Paris V, was a French public university located in Paris. It was one of the inheritors of the historic University of Paris, which was split into 13 universities in 1970. Paris Descartes completely merg ...

and is a former student of

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

''Le Figaro'' and ''Le Figaro Magazine''

Van der Plaetsen joined ''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'' in 1988, where he spent his entire career, including ''le Figaro littéraire'', culture, and politics (of which he was head of department), then editor-in-chief. In January 2008, , then promoted to managing editor of ''Le Figaro Magazine'', brought him to the magazine and appointed him deputy managing editor, a position he still holds today. A friend of

Michel Houellebecq Michel Houellebecq (; born Michel Thomas on 26 February 1956) is a French author of novels, poems, and essays, as well as an occasional actor, filmmaker, and singer. His first book was a biographical essay on the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. H ...

, he conducted a series of very long interviews with him, entitled ''Un été avec Michel Houellebecq'', which appeared in five episodes in ''Le Figaro Magazine'' during the summer of 2015. We see the author of ''

Atomised ''Atomised'', also known as ''The Elementary Particles'' (), is a novel by the French author Michel Houellebecq, published in France in 1998. It tells the story of two half-brothers, Michel and Bruno, and their mental struggles against their ...

'' confiding in complete freedom on the most diverse subjects - and interacting with philosopher

Alain Finkielkraut Alain Luc Finkielkraut (; ; born 30 June 1949) is a French essayist, radio producer, and public intellectual. Since 1986, he has been the host of ''Répliques'', a talk show broadcast weekly on France Culture. He was elected a Fellow of the Ac ...

and rock-star

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

Work

* ', Paris, Éditions Grasset et Fasquelle, 2017, 240 p. – Grand Prix Jean Giono 2017;

Prix Interallié The prix Interallié (Interallié Prize), also known simply as ''l'Interallié'', is an annual France, French list of literary awards, literary award, awarded for a novel written by a journalist. History The prize was started on 3 December 19 ...

2017. :: - Description of the heroic act of the and the

Compagnons de la Libération This is a list of the companions of the Liberation, which consist of people, communities and military units that have been awarded the Ordre de la Libération. 1038 people, 5 cities, and 18 military units have been awarded '' Compagnons de la L ...

during the Second World War, as well as those of

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

and Algéria through the itinerary of his maternal grandfather, the army general Jean Crépin, in whom the writer

Bernard-Henri Lévy Bernard-Henri Georges Lévy (; ; born 5 November 1948) is a French public intellectual. Often referred to in France simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the " Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) movement in 1976. His opinions, politi ...

sees "one of the most luminous figures in the epic of

Free France Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

". "The strength of this book", writes the

academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. Accor ...

Jean-Marie Rouart, "is because it does not only evoke the author's grandfather, he speaks to us about us, about France, about a universe and a painful military sensitivity. Because, through a character, he reveals a tragedy to us. The officers' ordeal, in the fateful period 1940-1965, has rarely been illuminated in such a fair light."

Franz-Olivier Giesbert Franz-Olivier Giesbert (born January 18, 1949) is an American-born French journalist, author, and television presenter. Early life Franz-Olivier Giesbert's American father was a painter and G.I. during D-Day, and his mother, a philosophy teacher ...

, journalist and writer, also praised the book as follows: "Through the shocking account of the feats of his grandfather, hero of the Second World War and companion of General de Gaulle, Jean-René Van der Plaetsen pays tribute to this endangered value in a book that smells of heaven and clean air: The Nostalgia of Honour."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaetsen, Jean-René Van der 1962 births Living people People from Lubumbashi Sciences Po alumni 20th-century French journalists 21st-century French journalists 21st-century French writers 21st-century French essayists Prix Interallié winners Grand prix Jean Giono recipients Prix Renaudot des lycéens winners