Jean Biès (1933 – 11 January 2014) was a French philosopher and author. He is the recipient of the High Prize of the Society of French Poets (1970), Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor (1997), and a prolific modern proponent of the

Traditionalist School The Traditionalist or Perennialist School is a group of 20th- and 21st-century thinkers who believe in the existence of a perennial wisdom or perennial philosophy, primordial and universal truths which form the source for, and are shared by, al ...

. His works deal with the union of Eastern and Western philosophy.

Biography

Born in

Bordeaux, France Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

in 1933, much of his childhood and adolescence was spent in Algiers. Jean Biès studied Classics at the

University of Algiers The University of Algiers (Arabic:جامعة الجزائر – بن يوسف بن خـدة ), commonly called the Algiers 1 University, is a public research university located in Algiers, Algeria. It is the oldest and most prestigious univers ...

before continuing his studies at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. His doctoral dissertation, which studied the relationship between French literature and Hindu thought (''Littérature française et la Pensée Hindoue''), was awarded the Prix d’Asie by the

Académie des sciences d'outre-mer An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

.Jean Biès: Life and Work
/ref> Coming across the writings of

René Guénon René Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon (15 November 1886 – 7 January 1951), also known as ''Abdalwâhid Yahiâ'' (; ''ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Yaḥiā'') was a French intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having writte ...

in 1951, Biès discovered the existence of initiatory teachings. This had a large influence on his beliefs and writings and he went on to meet several prominent members of the

including

Frithjof Schuon Frithjof Schuon (, , ; 18 June 1907 – 5 May 1998) was a Swiss metaphysician of German descent, belonging to the Perennialist or Traditionalist School of thought. He was the author of more than twenty works in French on metaphysics, spirituali ...

. He was awarded the Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor in 1997. After the loss of his wife, the Jungian analyst Rolande Biès in January 2012, Jean Biès committed suicide in January 2014.

Writings

Biès has written extensively on the subject of traditional wisdom and his works take many forms including essays, poetry, travel accounts, personal testimonies, and scholarly articles. He retired in 1993 so he could focus his time entirely on his writing. In 2004

World Wisdom World Wisdom is an independent American publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus Bur ...

published the first English-language collection of his writings, entitled ''Returning to the Essential: The Selected Writings of Jean Bies.'' The Catholic philosopher

Jean Borella Jean Borella (born in Nancy, France, May 21, 1930) is a Christian philosopher and theologian. Borella's works are inspired by Ancient and Christian Neoplatonism, but also by the Traditionalist School of René Guénon and Frithjof Schuon. Biography ...

referred to Biès as "one of the great and most authentic poets of our time".''Returning to the Essential'', (

, 2004), p. xiii

Bibliography

English *''Sophia Volume 12 Number 1'' (Foundation for Traditional Studies, 2007) *''Ye Shall Know the Truth'' (

, 2005) *''Returning to the Essential: The Selected Writings of Jean Bies'' (

, 2004) French *''John Tavener, l'enchanteur : Une introduction à la musique du silence'' (Les Deux Océans, 2008) *''Les alchimistes'' (OXUS, 2007) *''Petit dictionnaire d'impertinences spirituelles'' (Entrelacs, 2006) *''Voies de Sages : Douze maîtres spirituels témoignent de leur vérité'' (OXUS, 2006) *''Les grands initiés du XXe siècle : Trente voies pratiques de réalisation'' (OXUS, 2005) *''Retour à l'essentiel : Quelle spiritualité pour l'homme d'aujourd'hui?'' (L'Age d'Homme, 2004) *''Vivre et transmettre la tradition'' (Dervy, 2004) *''Par les chemins de vie et d'oeuvre : Entretiens avec Mireya de Alson'' (Les Deux Océans, 2001) *''Littérature française et pensée hindoue, des origines à 1950'' (Klincksieck, 2000) *''Les Alchimistes'' (Kiron: Philippe Lebaud, 2000) *''Athos: La montagne transfigurée'' (Deux Océans, 2000) *''La Porte de l'appartement des femmes'' (Dauphin (Le), 1998) *''L'initiatrice'' (Editions du Dauphin, 1998) *''Voies de sages'' (Editions du Felin, 1996) *''Paroles d'urgence'' (Terre du Ciel, 1996) *''Les chemins de la ferveur : Voyage en Inde'' (Terre du Ciel, 1995) *''Arts, gnose et alchimie. Trois sources de régénérescence'' (Courrier du Livre, 1987)

References

External links

Jean Biès’s life and workThe Notebooks of Jean Biès
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bies, Jean 1933 births 2014 deaths Writers from Bordeaux Traditionalist School 20th-century French poets Mystic poets 20th-century French philosophers 21st-century French philosophers 21st-century French writers Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur French male poets 20th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers 2014 suicides Suicides in France

Biography

Writings

See also

Bibliography

References

External links