Roger Vercel
Roger Vercel (born Roger Cretin) (8 January 1894 Le Mans – 26 February 1957 Dinan) was a French writer.
Biography
He was fascinated by the sea and marine life (and although it has virtually never been to sea itself, most of his novels place in a maritime setting).
The World War I interrupted his studies of letters. Early in the war because of his poor eyesight, he was a stretcher-bearer on the battlefields of northern and eastern France. Because of the lack of army officers, he was prompted to return to Saint-Cyr. He ended the war on the eastern front, and was discharged a year after the Armistice.
He then rejoined Dinan, where he was appointed in 1921, professor at the College of Letters. He supported a doctorate in letters in 1927, with a thesis whose subject is: "The images in the work of Corneille". The Académie française awards it the Saintour prize of literary history. Dinan extinguished it in 1957.
His war memories inspire some of his earlier books: Our Father Trajan, Captain Conan, Lena, but the maritime world is at the heart of his work. Off Eden earned him the Prix Femina from the France-America Committee in 1932. He won the Prix Goncourt in 1934 for Capitaine Conan.
Several of his works were brought to the screen:
- Trailers, 1941 (dir. Jean Gremillion, with Jean Gabin, Michèle Morgan, Madeleine Renaud, Fernand Ledoux)
- Duguesclin, 1949 (dir. Bernard de Latour, with Gisele Casadesus, Louis de Funès Gérard Oury)
- The murky waters, 1949 (dir. Henri Calef, with Jean Vilar, Ginette Leclerc, André Valmy, Mouloudji) is based on the new blades Deaf.
- The great bulwarks, 1954 (dir. Jacques Pinoteau Courcel Nicole Marie Mansard, Jean-Pierre Mocky)
- Capitaine Conan, 1996 (dir. Bertrand Tavernier, Philippe Torreton, Samuel Le Bihan, Bernard Le Coq)
Sources
- Simone Vercel, "Roger Vercel, my father." in L'Humanite, September 19, 1996.
- Erwann Letilleul Roger Vercel, maritime writer, Chasse-tidal No. 142, p. 24-35, April 2001.
- Jacques Georgel, "Roger Vercel" biography. Apogee Publishing, 2006, 189 p.
Works
Studies
- Les images dans l'œuvre de Corneille, thèse pour le doctorat ès-lettres, A. Olivier, 1927.
- Lexique comparé des métaphores dans le théâtre de Corneille et de Racine, thèse complémentaire pour le doctorat ès-lettres, A. Olivier, 1927.
- Un programme d'éducation générale in Disciplines d'action, Vichy, Paris, Commissariat général à l'éducation générale et aux sports, 1942.
Novels
- Notre père Trajan, Albin Michel, 1930.
- En Dérive, Albin Michel, 1931.
- Au Large de l'Eden, Albin Michel, 1932.
- Le maître du rêve, Albin Michel, 1933.
- Capitaine Conan, Albin Michel, 1934.
- Remorques, Albin Michel, 1935. Les Bibliophiles de France, 1957
- Léna, Albin Michel, 1936.
- Sous le pied de l'archange, Albin Michel, 1937.
- Jean Villemeur, Albin Michel, 1939.
- La Hourie, Albin Michel, 1942.
- Aurore boréale, Albin Michel, 1947.
- La caravane de Pâques, Albin Michel, 1948. (illustrations par Frédéric Back)
- La fosse aux vents :
- I.- Ceux de la Galatée, Albin Michel, 1949.
- II.- La peau du Diable, Albin Michel, 1950.
- II.- Atalante, Albin Michel, 1951.
- Visage perdu, Albin Michel, 1953.
- L'Île des revenants, Albin Michel, 1954.
- Été indien, Albin Michel, 1956.
Biographies
- Du Guesclin, Albin Michel, 1932; Éditions Arc-en-ciel, 1944 (illustrations by Frédéric Back); Editions de la Nouvelle France, 1944 (illustration by Jacques Lechantre).
- Le Bienheureux Charles de Blois, Albin Michel, 1942.
- Nos vaillants capitaines, Impr. de Curial-Archereau, 1945.
- This article incorporates information from the revision as of 2009-11-15 of the equivalent article on the French Wikipedia.
| Persondata |
| Name |
Vercel, Roger |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
8 January 1894 |
| Place of birth |
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| Date of death |
26 February 1957 |
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