Jeanne Bourin or Jeanne Mondot (13 January 1922 – 19 March 2003) was a French writer known for her

historical novels Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

Life

Jeanne Mondot was born in Paris in 1922. She married the writer André Bourin in 1942. Catholic returned to the faith of her childhood at the age of 40, she admires medieval society which she studied extensively and depicts she in the framework of her novels. In 1963, her book ''Le bonheur est une femme: roman'' and this was a historic fiction about the relationship between

Pierre de Ronsard Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet known in his generation as a "Prince des poètes, prince of poets". His works include ''Les Amours de Cassandre'' (1552)'','' ''Les Hymnes'' (1555-1556)'', Les Disco ...

(Prince of Poets) and Cassandra Salviati. Her sentimental and idealized vision of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, still close to the one of

Régine Pernoud Régine Pernoud (17 June 1909, Château-Chinon (Ville), Château-Chinon, Nièvre – 22 April 1998, Paris) was a French historian and archivist. Pernoud was one of the most prolific medievalists in 20th century France; more than any other single ...

, earned her criticism from academics such as the medievalist

Robert Fossier Robert Fossier (4 September 1927 – 25 May 2012) was a French Historian, specializing in the Western Middle Ages. Biography Family and Education Robert Fossier was born into Catholicism. His father, a soldier who served in World War I, ...

. She rediscovers, following Régine Pernoud, the important place given to women at that time, and especially from the eleventh to the thirteenth century. By thus going against many preconceived ideas about the Middle Ages, she honours these centuries which she qualified in her autobiographical story The Smile of the Angel (''Le sourire de l'ange'') as "courteous, luminous and creative". She wrote a number of other novels and she was given several awards including the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. Jeanne Bourin died in Le Mesnil-le-Roi in 2003.

Notable works

* ''Le bonheur est une femme'' (1963) * ''Très sage

Héloïse Héloïse; c. 1100–01? – 16 May 1163–64?), variously Héloïse d'ArgenteuilCharrier, Charlotte. Heloise Dans L'histoire Et Dans la Legende. Librairie Ancienne Honore Champion Quai Malaquais, VI, Paris, 1933 or Héloïse du Paraclet, was a ...

'' (1966) * ''

Agnès Sorel Agnès Sorel (; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet ''Dame de beauté'' (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters. She is considered the first officially ...

, la dame de Beauté'' (1970) * ''La Chambre des dames'' (1979),

Grand prix des lectrices de Elle The Grand prix des lectrices de Elle is a French literary prize awarded by readers of ''Elle'' magazine. History Unlike other literary prizes that have professionals for their juries and selection committees, the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle i ...

* ''Le Jeu de la tentation'' (1981) * ''Cuisine médiévale pour tables d'aujourd'hui'' (1983) * ''Le Grand feu'' (1985) * ''Les Amours blessées'' (1987) * ''Les Pérégrines'' (1989) * ''La Rose et la Mandragore'' (1990) * ''Compagnons d’éternité'' (1992) * ''La Garenne'' (1994) * ''Le Sourire de l'Ange'' (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourin, Jeanne 1922 births 2003 deaths Writers from Paris French Roman Catholic writers 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French women writers Prix Maison de la Presse winners