French writer Romain Gary: biography, pseudonyms, bibliography, film adaptations of works

Among all the writers of the 20th century, the figure of Romain Gary is the most intriguing. Honored pilot, hero of the French resistance, creator of many literary characters and the only winner of the Goncourt Prize, who received it twice.

Biography

Gary Romain was born in Vilna, Lithuania, into a Jewish family in 1914. The real name is Roman Katsev, and the pseudonym Gary comes from the Russian word "burn." In 1935, he took the name Romain, and five years later, the name of Gary.

Gary's mother, provincial actress Mina (Nina) Ovchinskaya, when her son was three years old, went with him to Warsaw. Father - Leib Katsev, left the family in 1925 and married.

In 1928 they moved to Nice. Romain Gary studied law, flying and spoke six languages ​​fluently. During World War II he emigrated to the UK, where he joined the French squadron - “Free France” under the command of General de Gaulle.

He returned to France, became a diplomat and headed the consulate in Los Angeles from 1956 to 1960. Thanks to the connections of his first wife, L. Blanche, a well-known English writer, entered the circle of journalists and publishers. In 1944, an English translation of “European Education” by Romain Gary was published and he was destined to soon become one of the most prolific and popular writers in France.

Mother and son

Nina Ovchinskaya always said that her beloved Romushka had a bright future: "He will be a great writer, gentleman of the Legion of Honor, envoy of France and the most beautiful women will lie at his feet." The writer mentions this fact in his autobiographical novel, Promise at Dawn. In almost everything, she turned out to be right, only one could not foresee that a war would begin in Europe, her son would become a military pilot and would receive the highest awards from the hands of General De Gaulle and the Queen of Great Britain.

The only one of the entire flight school, Gary did not receive an officer rank, because he was "not a Frenchman." But he flew with the Royal Air Force and for his heroism was awarded the Legion of Honor and the Military Cross. Of all the pilots who began their service with Gary, only five survived after the war. Mother wrote 250 letters in advance to her son, and he received them while he was at war. Only after the victory did he learn that there was no mother. “Her breath poured life into me,” Gary subsequently wrote.

Nicknames and Prizes

The only one among the writers who received twice the Goncourt Prize, Romain Gary received it for the first time in 1956 for the work “Roots of the Sky”. He published his works also under the name Katseva, Shatan Bogat, Fosco Sinibaldi.

But in 1973, with 22 published books and a Goncourt Prize behind him, he felt tired of the writer's image and created a new alter ego: “Emil Azhar, a 34-year-old Algerian medical student, made a Parisian unsuccessful abortion and fled to Brazil. There he began a literary career. ”

In 1975, under this pseudonym, the novel "All Life Ahead." The author of the novel was noted as a beginner by the Gonkurov Prize. This contradicts the charters of the Committee, but then no one recognized the handwriting of a prose writer in the texts of the “Algerian student”.

The role of Azhar was played by Gary's nephew, answering telephone interviews, and the manuscripts were sent to the publishing house by his friend, who lives in Rio. The very first work of Azhar “Dear” was a huge success, but he was also eclipsed by the triumph of the second “All life is ahead”. The committee still had doubts that Azhar and Gary were one and the same person, but the award was still awarded. Gary ordered the lawyer to refuse the award, but this was no longer possible.

Soon, releasing in 1978, signed by Romain Gary “Kite,” the writer committed suicide. Gary shot himself on December 2, 1980 and left a note in which he wrote that everything can be explained by the depression that has lasted since he became an adult.

The tragedy of the writer

Gary, who was given the promise of a great life at dawn, became a suicide. Some associated the tragedy with the suicide of the second wife of Gary, who committed suicide in 1979. Strangely foreseeing this story, R. Gary will describe it in “Flowers of the Day”. He was afraid of old age and always said that he was not afraid of anything, and that old age was presented as “something terrible.”

On the 30th anniversary of the writer's death, an exhibition opened in Paris. The manuscript “Grimacing gesture”, written by Gary at the age of 17, was presented on it. On a black notebook with his hand it was written that the manuscript should not be published. There were more than 160 documents at the exhibition: letters, photographs, unpublished texts and manuscripts, including the unpublished novel Charlatan.

The exhibition was held near the house where the French writer Romain Gary lived. Shatan Bogat, Fosco Sinibaldi and Emil Azhar, who became one of France’s biggest scandals, lived there on Bak Street. Despite the success of Lady L, published in English in the United States, Gary turned out to be out of fashion and a lonely writer in the late 70s.

He criticized the “new romance,” despising this era, and critics responded in silence. Then there was a new writer Emil Azhar, whose second novel became a sensation, turning into a trap for Gary. When the identity of Paul Pavlovich, Gary’s nephew, was revealed, dozens of journalists were on duty on Buck Street, suspecting Romain of literary deception.

The pilot, a participant in the Liberation, he could not imagine that, before everyone's eyes, the Order of the Legion of Honor for deception was torn off him. The journalist J. Entoven published an article in “Puen”, where he said that Gary had purchased a red-colored coat, so that his relatives would not be afraid of blood stains when they found the body. This was all Gary, who loved people with all their weaknesses, but never learned to forgive his own.

Adaptations

In 1958, based on the novel of the same name by Romain Gary, the adventure melodrama “Roots of the Sky” was shot. The film was directed by John Houston. The picture takes place in Africa. The idealist Morel is on fire to save African elephants from the complete disappearance. In this he is helped by the Englishman Forsyth and the owner of a nightclub in Fort Lami - Minna.

According to the novel of the writer, the film Nunally Johnson “A Man Understanding Women” (1959) was shot. Plot: producer Willy Boch turns his wife into the sexiest Hollywood star, but neglects marital duties. Tired and lonely Ann returns to her native France and starts an affair with the pilot Marco. Willy, learning about this, hires killers to get rid of the opponent. But romantic killers decide that lovers must die beautifully and together. Willie rushes to France to save his wife.

Since 1962, Andrew Marton made a film based on the novel of the same name by Romain Gary “The Longest Day”, which tells about the events of 1944.

The short story “Lady L” formed the basis of the film of the same name (1965) by Peter Ustinov. The film takes place at the end of the 19th century in France, England and Switzerland. Lady L. tells her biographer about her life: working as a laundress in a brothel, where she met the anarchist Arman, who intended to kill the Prince of Bavaria. This led to the acquaintance of Lady L with Lord Lendale, whom she married in order to save Arman. Lely L - the prototype of the first wife of R. Gary - Leslie Blanche, she was a consultant to the director.

The next film, shot on the novel of the same name by the writer, was the picture of the director “Promise at Dawn” directed by J. Dassin, which was released in 1971. And, finally, in 1979, based on the novel of the same name by R. Gary, the film directed by Costa Garvas “The Light of a Woman” was shot.

Film, film, film

The tireless writer, who presented the world with more than 40 works, was an excellent director. The screen versions of the works of Romain Gary were engaged not only in world famous screenwriters and directors, but also in himself.

• In 1968, the picture “Birds Fly to Die in Peru”, shot based on the story of the same name, was released, the author of the film became the director of the film. For too explicit sex scenes, the picture was assigned category X. Plot: a young couple goes to a festival in Peru. Soon, the attractive lady disappears. After some time, appears on the doorstep of the hotel and claims the rape by four strangers.
• In 1970, director Carl Dicerto directed the short film “One Humanist” based on the novel of the same name by R. Gary. In the credits, the author is also mentioned as a screenwriter.
• In 1971, the film "Kill!" Written and directed by R. Gary.
• In 1977, the painting “All Life Ahead” saw the light, based on the eponymous novel by Emil Azhar. Romain Gary - screenwriter, director and co-author - Moshe Mizrahi.

Lost novel

In 2015, R. Gary’s novel “Wine of the Dead” was published in Russian. This was truly a sensation in the world of literature. Half a century later, the manuscript written in 1937, and the only one signed as Roman Katsev, was discovered at an auction. The twenty-four-year-old Romain, parting with her lover, a Swedish journalist, in a fit of feelings, presented her with an unpublished manuscript. The text of the book is very different from everything written by the writer later.

“Wine of the Dead”

In the popular “dance of death” genre in medieval times, the author tells of the adventures of a tipsy hero. Someone Tulip falls asleep in the cemetery in the evening, and falls into a strange dungeon, where the living dead live. Wandering from crypt to crypt, he witnesses a wide variety of scenes: from family showdowns to a meeting with a German general, a participant in the First World War.

Such an unusual surroundings in the novel does not look intimidating - rather ridiculous, and the numerous associations with well-known works - from L. Carroll through the “Looking Glass” to N. Geyman's “Never Now” - make it completely understandable. “Wine of the Dead” is rather not a novel with a plot, but a collection of sketches with the participation of one protagonist. The whole story is his dream.

Of course, you cannot name Wine as a masterpiece, but this is a very promising work, and it echoes the echoes of its future novels. Future Azhar is especially felt - burlesque motifs migrated to “Dear”, “Life and Death of Emil Azhar”.

To some extent, this is not just a test of the pen, but this novel has always been with the writer. As he himself claimed, having become Azhar, he became himself. Judging by this, the hoax was part of the writer, if the books of Romain Gary can more or less be considered classical novels, then the works of Azhar are built on a completely different principle - this is phantasmagoria, grotesque.

Way through life

Harry's penchant for writing was noted as a child: from 1929 to 1932, he invariably occupied prize-winning places by composition. During his studies, Gary sent his works to the weekly “Gringoire”, where he published two of his stories La Petite femme and L'Orage, signed by his real name.

From 1944 to 1952, “European Education,” “Tulip,” “Big Flea Market,” “Colors of the Day,” appeared in which a strange resemblance to the writer’s second marriage was discovered. In general, in many of Romain's works there are many autobiographical motifs. So, in 1960, the “Promise at Dawn” was released, which became, in a way, a hymn to filial love. Parting with his first wife, Gary dedicated her the novel “Lady L” (1993).

The second wife of Gary, his main and tragic love, is guessed in the American from the book "Star Eaters" (1966) and in the story "Birds Fly to Die in Peru." When Gary, as an adviser to the UN, was faced with the lies, intrigues, and duplicity of politicians, he wrote the satirical novel The Man with the Dove (1958) under the pseudonym Fosco Sinibaldi.

Writer's work

In the works of Gary, the theme of the failure of humanism is mentioned. He writes that he does not believe “in noble agreements”, “because of reason”. This becomes the background in which many of Gary's heroes live. These include works written in the postwar years: “The roots of the sky (1956),“ The night will be calm ”(1974), the story“ Humanist ”.

In the stories of many of Gary’s novels, there is death. The soul of a Jew shot by fascists acts as a narrator in the book “The Dance of Genghis Haim (1967). The play “Johnny Ker” (1961), the novels “Lyrical Clowns” (1979) and “Charge of the Soul” (1978) end with the death of the protagonist.

An attempt to break away from the critically acclaimed image of a traditionalist writer was made up of novels written under the pseudonym Emil Azhard, each of which became a great event in the life of France: “Dear” (1974), “Pseudo” (1976) and “Anxiety of King Solomon” (1979 ) and, quite rightly called the best in the writer's work, “All life is ahead” (1975).

Other books by the author

Gary in his works revealed the main features of modernity, tearing apart its contradictions, struggle and psychology of the turbulent 20th century. In his novels, complex human relations, manifestations of nationalism, and the author’s rejection of the Vietnam War are also mentioned. Political events become the backdrop of works, a support for fiction and plotting, and do not occupy a dominant position.

• In the essay “For Sganarelle”, which was published in 1965, the author puts forward the concept of a “total” novel, combining various genre characters.
• The novels “Ski Boom” (1965) and “Goodbye, Gary Cooper!” (1969).
• In 1970, the White Dog novel about racial prejudice was released.
• “Europe” (1972) is a peculiar novel about the search for truth.
• The novel “Wizards” (1973) is a wonderful illustration of life in all its glory and cruelty.
• In the novel “Next Your Ticket is Invalid” (1971), the author raises a difficult topic of love in his declining years.
• The novel “Woman's Light” was published in 1977.
• The stunning novel “Kites” (1980) tells the story of love that has passed the test of war.
• The novel “Stephanie’s Heads” (1974) was written under the pseudonym Shatan Bogat.

Reader Reviews

Reading the books of Romain Gary, I want to breathe deeply this verbal grace - his syllable is fresh and light, an unusual combination of wise sadness and subtle sarcasm. It is hard to believe that this is written by a person suffering from depression for a long time. The heroes of his novels exist in a world turned inside out, where everything is against human society. But they live contrary to reality and fight to maintain themselves in this indifferent world. This makes all the characters of Gary related: to overcome loneliness, to overcome fate, to find contact with the world, to correct its imperfection.