Jean Gaulmier

Jean Gaulmier is a French writer born with Charenton-of-Expensive the on March 10th, 1905 and died in Paris on November 11th, 1997. It will have a great passion the East and a great ambition, to bring this one closer to the Occident.

Biography

After its secondary studies with the college Holy Cross of Neuilly, (baccalaureat S Latin Greek in 1920, Latin, sciences and Philosophy in 1921) and a year devoted to mathematics (1922), it turns to the letters, present in 1925 entrance the examination of the National university of the street of Ulm (it had as companions Raymond Aron, Paul Nizan and Jean-Paul Sartre) and fails.

It is directed then towards the studies of letters, philosophy and Greek with the Sorbonne. Etienne Gilson, his professor of philosophy had clarified, for him, all the filiation which by the Arab philosophers, carried out until Saint Thomas d' Aquin, exégète of Aristote.

Jean Gaulmier conceives the intention learning Arabic. Etienne Gilson advises to him to meet Louis Massignon, first orientalist of his time. “Arabic, says him it, is the language of God. ” It is thus registered in 1925 with the School of the Eastern languages. It has for professor M. Gaudefroy-Demonbynes and friends of the Syrians sent to Paris within the framework of the mandate: Zarzouzi, J. Saliba, K. Daghestani. “All that he learns on this country makes him wish to know it…”

To practice the language, stimulated by this increasing interest, it decides to go to Lebanon by engaging for two years (1928) to the 17th regiment of the Senegalese Tirailleurs whose deposit was with Beirut.

Thus a career begins, under the French mandate, with the Lebanon and in Syria which will make it remain in the East for a quarter century. Very quickly, eight month later, Jean Gaulmier is detached with Damas with the title of " to advise for the instruction publique".

At twenty-four years, it is named director of studies French with Hama where it writes two volumes of news inspired of sound " Berry" native: Soil (1931) and Number 8 (1932), greeted by Louis Guilloux, Romain Roland and André Demaison: its reputation of writer, in France, is established.

In 1932, it is named with Damas for two years; then with Alep in 1934 where it will remain until in 1939. During these thirteen years, he teaches philosophy and inspects the Syrian educational establishments. In 1939, Jean Gaulmier is mobilized on the spot. Demobilized in 1941, it adopts the free France. It has by the General De Gaulle to direct the service of information and broadcasting of the free France to Beirut with a short incursion to Algiers until in 1944.

Of return to Beirut in 1945, it teaches during six years at the University of the letters, lately created and attached to the Faculty of Arts of Lyon. It is then, which after having given up a first project of thesis on the role of the Arabs in the Greek thought transference, it concludes a thesis of doctorate and a complementary thesis on the ideologist orientalist Volney, very famous at the 18th century and 19th century. It is finished in 1947 and is published in 1951. Meanwhile it will stick to a project, without precede: creation of a large French university for all the the Middle East, mixed university whose teaching would turn around the Letters and of Sciences, project which will not be born.

Of 1947 with 1956, he was mayor of his native village, with the borders of the Berry and the Bourbonnais.

From return in France in 1951, it obtains its assignment at the University of Strasbourg in order to exploit the " Funds Gobineau " it will coordinate, for the Bibliothèque of the Pleiad the edition of complete works. It will be, also, the editor of the Études Gobiniennes .

During his stay of almost twenty years with Strasbourg, Jean Gaulmier becomes secretary of the Association of the Publications (1953), director of the IPES (1958), elected representative of Faculty to the Council of the University (1964 - 1967 and 1967 - 1970).

Parallel to its teaching, it carried out several missions in Africa for UNESCO: in 1958 with the Morocco for the study of school planning and the Arabisation of the State education; in 1961 in Ivory Coast for the adaptation of the school programs; in 1962 with Tananarive with the Conference of the experts for the adaptation of the programs in Africa; in 1963 with the Cameroun to study the unification of the educational systems enters Eastern and Western Cameroun.

Elected with the Sorbonne in 1969, Jean Gaulmier will teach there until his retirement in 1975.

In 1986, it publishes, thanks to Louis Nucera which will be at the origin of the republication of Terroir and Matricule 8 , Helene or loneliness after tens of years of enfermement in a wall cupboard… What made say to Eric Deschodt: “During all this time, Jean Gaulmier deprived the public of a marvellous history of disenchantment. ”

Work

Works of fiction

Soil , Rieder (1931), republication Slats (1984)
Number Eight , Rieder (1932), republication Slats (1985)
Helene and loneliness , Slats (1986)

Critical editions

Charles de Gaulle writer , Louis Charlot (1945)
the ideologist Volney , Impr. Catholic (1951)
Gerard de Nerval and Girls of Fire , Nizet (1957)
a large witness of the Revolution: Volney , Hatchet (1959)
universe of Marcel Jouhandeau , Nizet (1959)
the Spectrum of Gobineau , Pauvert (1965)
Michelet , coll Writers in front of God, Desclée de Brouwer (1968)
Gobineau and its literary fortune , Ducros (1971)

Text-editings

Anthology de Gaulle , France-Raising (1942) (Begun again ED. Hutchinson, London 1943)
Aragon, the Bad cold Heart , French Problems (1942)
Speech with the French of the General de Gaulle , France-Raising (1943)
Khalil Zahiri, Zubda Kachf Al-Mamalik , French Institute of Damas (1950)
Volney, Voyage in Egypt and Syria , Sheep (1959)
André Breton, Ode with Charles Fourier , Klincksieck 1961
Thousand and One Nights , Garnier-Flammarion (1965 )
Gobineau, News Asian , Garnier, (1965) (price of the Trade union of criticisms for the best edition in 1966)
Gobineau, the red Handkerchief and other news , Garnier (1968)
Renan, Life of Jesus , Gallimard (1974)
Gobineau, Works , Gallimard (1975)

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