|
|
Biography Guillevic (1907-1997) is a major poet in Twentieth century French literature. Because of his longevity, he witnessed in its entirety the poetic saga of the century. He not only lived it, incorporating its nourishing qualities in his own poetic fibre, but then also wrote some of its memorable and meaningful episodes. Modern, innovative in form, theme and style, his easily recognizable voice echoes nonetheless, the poetic forms and concerns of classical French poetry. Moreover, his poetry is deeply rooted in the great works of Nineteenth century French poetry. He is also modern in his intellectualism. Like many other French writers of the Twentieth century, he espoused the political ideals of the left but also, like many of his contemporaries, he was to experience disillusion in confronting the harsh realities of communist regimes. He remained, however, like Malraux, Camus, Sartre, Duras, fully a writer of the engagement, constantly exposing and condemning social injustices and human weaknesses. For example, he was one of the first Western writers to bring to world attention the atrocities of Wold War II; indeed, he inaugurates perhaps what is now called the literature of the Holocaust. In the light of of recent horrors in Bosnia, Kosovo and regions of Africa, these texts retain a universal and intemporal appeal and purpose. Eugène Guillevic was born in Carnac, August 5, 1907. His boyhood and youth carry the imprint of the geographical, social and historical landscapes of Brittany and the Upper Rhine regions of France. His formative years are marked by his family relations, especially the conflictual encounters with an austere and cold mother and the discipline imposed by his gendarme father. His very early immersion in German culture will also orient his intellectual and social growth. In 1926 he began to work as a civil servant, a career mostly in finance and economic affairs which ended in 1967. From the mid-1930s he resides in Paris. The 1930s and 40s are marked by his loss of religious faith, his condemnation of Fascist ideology and practices and his adherence to the Communist Party in 1942, an affiliation which lasted until 1980. During this time he espouses many noble causes: resistance against fascism, the disclosure of the horrors of war, the condemnation of the injustices of power and ideology and the exploitation of workers. After 1967, he devotes all his energies to writing and translating poetry. He died in Paris (March 19, 1997) leaving behind a unique, varied and rich literary oeuvre. Guillevic's readership has increased after his death, and his works continue to maintain critical attention. More and more literary critics are discovering and appreciating his intellectual depth, his mastery of language and versification, his passionate humanism as well as his spiritual longings. His poetry remains appealing and meaningful to a large number of readers, because it portrays a restless human voice, conscious of its wants and imperfections, isolated yet constantly searching for understanding, unity, silence, love and peace. |
