Andre Morois is a classic of the biographical novel genre. He became a participant in the most tragic events of the twentieth century, but retained a good irony, which invariably affected his work - the psychological component and subtle humor of the works of Morois still attract readers.
Childhood and youth
The writer was born on July 26, 1885 in Elbef. Hailing from a wealthy family who came to France from Normandy after the Franco-German war. Grandfather and father were the owners of a textile factory. They brought workers to France with them. Grandfather Morois was awarded the Order for his contribution to French industry.
At baptism, Andre received the name Emil Solomon Wilhelm. The boy attended the gymnasium in Elbef, the formation of his worldview was affected by the instructions of the teacher Emil Chartier, writer and philosopher. At the age of twelve, Morois went to study at the Cornell Lyceum, after which he entered the University of Cannes and until 1911 served as the administrator at the family enterprise.
Personal life
In 1909, in Geneva, Morois Andre met the one who would become his wife in the future - the daughter of the Polish Count Janine. They will not live even 10 years, as the wife of Morois will die of the disease, leaving him three children: two sons and a daughter Michelle, who, like her father, will become a writer.
In 1924, in Paris, he met his second wife, Simon Kayyave. She will be devoted to him until the last days of the writer, which cannot be said about him. Simon will become both his nurse, and the secretary, and his wife, and will write a book of memoirs.
Debut novel
During the First World War, Morois was a communications officer and translator in the British Corps. Impressions of the war formed the basis of the debut novel Silent Colonel Bramble (1918). After the first publication, the writer found out what success was. His work was warmly received at home and in the USA and Great Britain.
The novels of Morois
Working for the Croix-de-Feu newspaper, Andre Maurois is working on his next novel. His "Talkative Doctor O'Grady" was released in 1922. Morois for 10 years ran a family business, but in 1925, after the death of his father, he sold the factory and devoted himself to literature.
In the next 15 years, a trilogy about the life of representatives of English romanticism was published. Later it came out as a series of "Romantic England": "Ariel, or the Life of Shelley" (1923), "The Life of Disraeli" (1927) and "Byron" (1930). In the same years he published several novels:
- “Bernard Kene” (1926) tells of a war veteran, a gifted young man who is forced to work in a family business;
- the psychological work “The vicissitudes of love” (1928) reveals human passions to the reader: in the first part, the main character writes about his feelings, in the second, his wife Isabelle opens her heart;
- the wonderful novel Family Hearth (1932) tells about the family, the relations of spouses, fathers and children, about personal choice, about the difficulties of life.
History of States
In 1938, Morois was elected to the French Academy, but World War II interrupted his creative plans. Morois volunteered with A. Saint-Exupery. During the occupation of his native country, he emigrated to the United States, where he worked as a teacher and served in Africa. With Exupery, fate brought them together both in exile and in liberated Algeria.
In 1946, he returned to France, and three years later published the collection "Finding Marcel Proust." In 1947, the book came out of the cycle of the history of states “France”. Andre Morois wrote about the history of the USA, Great Britain and other states.
Books about the beautiful
In 1947, while traveling to South America, Morois had a short affair with 30-year-old translator Maria Garcia, all of her name was Marita. The beautiful name of this Peruvian girl will remind him of his first wife. Their relationship lasted only 20 days, but Marita will return in a romantic, full of philosophical sayings, the September Roses novel (1956), which tells the story of a famous writer who has everything in life but lacks only a miracle - a miracle of love.
In the same year, 1956, André Mourois' Letters of a Stranger were published, filled with tips for every day, which to this day are read to millions of readers. Letters affect all aspects of human life, but most of all - the relationship of man and woman. How to attract the attention of a man, how to behave, how to build relationships in the family and, if God forbid, a lover is wound up, how to hold a blow. The list of topics raised in the letters can be listed for a long time, the most important thing is that almost all of them are relevant now.
Consonant with these books is the novel by Morois "The Promised Land", published in 1946. In it, the writer also touches on the subject of "tender passion." The heroine, the brilliant beauty Claire, read a lot and dreamed about love, represented her real. But, having married, she does not find what she was looking for, she cannot find genuine happiness and dooms herself to a joyless existence. The writer, in order to somehow decorate her so bleak existence, gives her to know a little bit of happiness in her second marriage.
Novels of the writer
Separately, it should be said about the novels by Morois Andre, collected in "Violets on Wednesdays", not so long ago the collection was published in Russian. It was compiled not by the writer himself, but by the publishers, and is an interesting combination of his works. Not each of them falls under the definition of "short story", which helps to get acquainted with the features of the artistic method of the writer.
Two sketches of "Ants" and "Cathedral" resemble the stories of S. Maugham. In the novel "Ariadne, sister ..." the reader will find out episodes from the life of the writer when both his spouses are going to write memoirs. The Biography tells of a researcher writing a biography of Byron. The short story “The Tide” tells us that the truth is not always needed, sometimes it is better for it to be kept behind seven seals, otherwise, if only it goes out, it will lead to unforeseen consequences.
In the novel “Good evening, dear,” the writer bitterly says that in the pursuit of fame, many forget about the purpose of art. Morois Andre also raises the same theme in The Birth of a Celebrity. The short story “Mirrina” also talks about the director, who asks the playwright to include another heroine in the play, which his lover should play.
“The story of one career” is more like a story, and it tells that a genuine work of art without talent, guided only by desire, is impossible. In the story "Testament", the hostess, meeting the guests, tirelessly repeats to everyone, not at all embarrassed by the presence of her husband: everything that is on the estate is recorded on her and will remain after her death.
“The Love of the Golden Calf” tells the story of the love of an elderly couple and is somewhat reminiscent of Hobsek's Balzac. In a sentimental story, which gave the title to the collection, "Violets on Wednesdays," the writer introduces the reader to the story of a failed love.
The life of wonderful people
Despite numerous works written in various genres, Andre Morois is, above all, a master of a biographical novel. He wrote:
- Byron, published in 1930;
- a novel about the Russian writer "Turgenev", published in 1931;
- the book "George Sand", which was released in 1952;
- a novel about Victor Hugo, published by the writer in 1955;
- the life story of Alexander Dumas (1957);
- the English bacteriologist who discovered penicillin; his biography of Andre Morois is described in the book “Alexandre Fleming” (1959);
- The book about Balzac, which was the last work of the writer in this cycle, was published in 1965, when the writer was 80 years old.
About his compatriots, Morois created the series “Literary Portraits”:
- 1964 - From Labruyere to Proust;
- 1963 - From Proust to Camus;
- 1965 - From Jew to Sartre;
- 1967 - "From Aragon to Monterlan."
In the 70s, Andre Morois’s book, Memoirs, was published, where he spoke about the life of his and great contemporaries — Churchill, Roosevelt, General de Gaulle, Kipling, Saint Exupery and Clemenceau. The writer died on October 9, 1967.
Reader Reviews
Morois gravitates more to classical literature than to modernist literature, which was popular in those years. But, despite this, among contemporaries, the work of the master was appreciated. The same can be said about the present day - whichever of his works you take - it is beautiful. Novels are often connected by common characters. The protagonist of one of them suddenly appears in another work. The episodic character suddenly comes to the fore in the next short story.
For the books of Morois, the presence of the narrator and participant in the events in one person is characteristic. The heroes of the writer belong mainly to the bourgeoisie, the writer also talks about Bohemia, and mercilessly criticizes all the vices of this society. The biographical novels of Morois are read in one breath, in psychological ones - every phrase, then an aphorism. Many of the writer's books are literally “disassembled” into quotes.
Andre Morois writes clearly, his reasoning is accurate and elegantly worded, savor every word. Morois is a wonderful representative of French prose, you re-read his work several times, and nothing can be done about it - I want to communicate with the great master of words again and again.