About
Paul Morand, born in Paris in 1888, was a French writer and diplomat. A graduate of the École des sciences politiques, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1912 and held posts in London, Rome, Madrid, and Siam. His first collection of short stories, Tendres Stocks (1921), prefaced by Marcel Proust, launched his literary career. He achieved great success with Ouvert la nuit (1922) and Fermé la nuit (1923), which captured the cosmopolitan spirit of the Roaring Twenties. During World War II, he served as Vichy ambassador to Romania and then Switzerland, leading to his dismissal at the Liberation. Exiled in Switzerland, he was elected to the Académie française in 1968 after a long controversy. He died in Paris in 1976.
* 1888-03-13 — † 1976-07-23
Major works
- Tendres Stocks (1921)short story collection
- Ouvert la nuit (1922)short story collection
- Fermé la nuit (1923)short story collection
- L'Homme pressé (1941)novel
- Journal inutile (2001)memoir
Key milestones
- 1912Passed first in the exams for consulates and embassies.
- 1942Appointed French ambassador to Romania under the Vichy regime.
- 1968Elected to the Académie française, without traditional honors.
Themes
cosmopolitanismmodernitytraveltime and speednight and nightlife
Sources: larousse.fr · britannica.com