About
Françoise Giroud, born Lea France Gourdji in 1916 in Lausanne, left her mark on French journalism. After a start in cinema, she directed Elle from 1945 to 1953, then co-founded L'Express in 1953, which she led until 1974. She is credited with coining the term 'Nouvelle Vague' in 1958. Committed to politics, she became Secretary of State for Women's Rights in 1974, then for Culture from 1976 to 1977. Author of some thirty books, she also presided over Action Against Hunger from 1984 to 1988. She died in 2003.
* 1916-09-21 — † 2003-01-19
Major works
- La Comédie du pouvoir (1977)essay
- Une femme honorable (1981)biography
- Ce que je crois (1978)essay
Key milestones
- 1953Co-founded the weekly L'Express with Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber.
- 1974Appointed Secretary of State for Women's Rights, the first such post in France.
- 1984Becomes president of Action Against Hunger, a position she held until 1988.
Themes
FeminismPoliticsJournalismCinemaCommitment
Sources: bnf.fr · siv.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr · id.loc.gov