Francis Carco

François Carcopino-Tusoli , known as Francis Carco , is a writer, poet, journalist and author of French songs of Corsican origin, born on July 3rd 1886 with Noumea, deceased on May 26th 1958 with Paris.

The painter of the obscure streets

Francis Carco spends its first ten years in New Caledonia, where his/her father works as guard with the bagne. This one being named in Paris, Francis resides then with its family at the Châtillon-on-Seine. Confronted with authoritarianism and paternal violence, it takes refuge in poetry, where its interior revolt is expressed.

In 1902, its family settles with Villefranche de Rouergue. It makes frequent stays in his grandmother with 4 rue du Lycée with Nice. There, it becomes acquainted with Henri Matisse, then of Colette. It resides then at Rodez, Lyon and Grenoble, of the cities of which it traverses and observes the hollows.

Francis Carco goes up to Paris at 24 years. In 1911, it is one of the founders of " The school fantaisiste" with Paul-Jean Toulet, Tristan Derème and Jean Pilgrim. He publishes its first collection, " Bohemia and my cœur" , in 1912. In 1913, Francis Carco meets Katherine Mansfield, “rebel and pure young girl” originating in New Zealand, which fled the marital home. It starts with it a relation disconcerting, abortive, a “love dedicated to the disaster”, as he said it itself, which will mark it until the end of its days. It briefly settles with it in its apartment of 13 Quai des Fleurs, with Paris.

Carco starts to attend Montmartre, in particular the “Nimble Rabbit”, where it crosses in particular Pierre Mac Orlan and Roland Dorgelès. He is also the friend of Apollinaire, max Jacob, Maurice Utrillo, Modigliani, Pascin, Pablo Picasso. He also ensures artistic criticism in the reviews " The Man libre" and of " Gil Blas".

In 1914, it publishes in the Mercure de France " Jesus Caille" , history of a homosexual procurer. This first novel is applauded by Paul Le Bourget. Mobilized in August 1914, it joined its body of aviation to Besancon. Other books will follow, in particular " The man traqué" (1922). Expressing in a strong and rich language feelings very violent one, " The man traqué" is one of the novels more moving by Francis Carco. Will come then " The ombre" (1933), " Brumes" (1935), its most known works. Also let us quote " Equipe" , " Street Pigalle" , " Innocents" , " Only a femme" , " Perversité" , " Vérotchka the étrangère" , " Ombre" , " the Light noire" , " Brumes" , " the Man of minuit" , " Surprising lawsuit of a bourreau".

Francis Carco also wrote its " Memories on Toulet and Katherine Mansfield" , " Petitdoigt" mom; , " De Montmartre with the District latin" , " With voice basse" , " Nostalgia of Paris" , of the reports on the Medium, and the biographies of Villon, Verlaine, Utrillo (1938), and Gerard de Nerval (1955).

In September 1939, it moves in with Isle-Adam, before being exiled with Nice then in Suisse. After the war, it again settles with Isle-Adam. From 1949 with its death, continuations of the Parkinson's disease, Carco will live 18 quai de Béthune, in the Saint-Louis island, in Paris. He dies on May 28th, 1958, by listening to " Ajaccienne" played by the Republican guard which passed under its windows. It is buried with the cemetery of Bagneux. His/her brother, Jean Marèze who committed suicide in 1942, and his second wife, Eliane, died in 1973, rest at her sides.

Francis Carco was member of the Académie Goncourt as from 1937. Called " The novelist of Apaches" , it carried out strongest pullings of edition of the Entre-deux-guerres.

Sources of inspiration

It even defines its work him as “a plaintive romanticism where exoticism is interfered with marvellous with a nuance humor and disenchantment”. In its books the aspiration with one shows through elsewhere: “Of the obscure streets, the bars, the ports resounding of the calls of the sirens, the ships in departure and fires in the night”. The child beaten by his Corsican father devoted his life to the minorities and often made of it the subject of its novels: Canaques, witnesses of its first years in Noumea, male prostitutes, bad lots.

Quotations

  • Roland Dorgelès: “Captive like convicts of Noumea, but captive of itself, it forever been able to escape. It is always as he saw the world, observed the beings, in a fog of melancholy that no ray of joy did not manage to bore. ”
  • “I promise myself foutre, in full mouth of the middle-class men, muscular and rotted novels of which they will lick the chops. ” (Letter of Francis Carco in Commercial Léopold, October 17th, 1915.)

To note

  1. Francis Carco was the cousin of the historian and senior official Jerome Carcopino , and the brother of Jean Marèze, poet and author of songs (" Sink dimanche" , " Escale" , etc).
  2. Of many painters and illustrators was associated with its books : Maurice Vlaminck, Suzanne Valadon, Andre Derain, Pierre-Eugene Clairin, Eugene Véder, Louis Legrand, Pierre Ambrogiani, Laborde Eye. André Dignimont in particular illustrated " Perversité" (1924), " Equipe" in (1925), " Bob and Bobette have fun (1930) and " Nostalgia of Paris" (1946). " The Legend and life of Utrillo" , work published by Seheur in 1927, was sold with 105 specimens only. The work, which contains ten original lithographies, was allocated for 4.000 €, in December 1998, in Drouot.
  3. Francis Carco wrote songs , of which " The soft caboulot" , put in music by Jacques Larmanjat, sung by Marie Dubas (1931), " Organ of the amoureux" , music of Varel & Bailly, sung by Edith Piaf (1949), or " Song tendre" , music of J. Larmanjat, sung by Fréhel, in 1935. Carco sang itself this last song with Nimble Rabbit, in 1952 (see external bonds below).

Works

External bonds

  • Biography
  • a curiosity: Francis Carco chanse '' the tender Song ''

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