Paul Voivenel

Paul (Louis, Joseph, Marie) Voivenel (born the September 24th 1881 with Séméac - died the June 9th 1975 with Pamiers) is a neuropsychiatrist, lecturer, writer and Journaliste of first half of the 20th century.

After secondary studies with Tarbes and “makes its medicine” with Toulouse, it becomes senior registrar then liberal Médecin (neuropsychiatry) with Toulouse. After its thesis it was introduced into the Parisian cultural mediums by Rémy de Gourmont and collaborates in the Mercure de France .

During the First World War it finds doctor on the face with the 67 {{E}} D.I of reserve (257 {{E}} R.A.C., 211 {{E}} R.I, 220 {{E}} R.I, ambulance 15/6. He becomes specialist in the Poison gas and, expert near the Conseils of war, was the first to be described, with discharge for the defendants, the syndrome of " morbid fear acquise" in the combatants.

In the Inter-war period, doctor, but also man of media, it continues its literary activities; they lead it to hold of the medical headings in the Mercure de France , Le Figaro , the Dispatch of the South , to continue to write books. It is a prolix author, 51 works with dominant medical where there remains a place for his memories of the war and the Rugby. It publishes 1933 with 1938 " With the 67e Division of réserve" , Price Montyon (1939) of the French Academy and in 1942 “ My beautiful Rugby” . Among the personalities of the time, it binds friendship with Paul Léautaud, Paul Valéry, François Mauriac, Francis Carco, Marie-madeleine de Saint-Exupéry, Camille Mauclair. Notable Toulouse, it is with the head of the Group of the Twenties; publication director of cultural monthly magazine “ the Archer” , moreover he is a lecturer with success, holds a chronicle with the Toulouse radio.

Impassioned Rugby, founder of the League of the Pyrenees before 1914, it signs, under the pseudonyms of Campagnou , Selouze , of many chronicles in the Dépêche of the South and in the Olympic Midi . Extremely of its Parisian relations, it makes set up in 1925, in homage to died of the war, the Monument with the Sports (Héraklès de Bourdelle) with Toulouse. In My beautiful Rugby , it is made historian of this sport but watch also its adhesion with the theses of the " national Revolution " and explains its implication in the setting with died of the Rugby to XIII.

During the war its indéfectible petainism and doubtful friendships do not prevent it from having relations with Résistants only it helps with the need. It is what is worth to him to overcome the difficulties that he would have known with the Libération and on which he does not extend.

The Après-guerre sees its Toulouse activities being reduced gradually to limit itself to its Chronique S in the Dépêche of the South and Olympic Midi .

Become widowed twice, it is withdrawn in its village of Capoulet-Junac and dies with Pamiers the June 9th 1975 without posterity.

He is holder of many decorations, the last, in 1965, Grand officer of the Légion of honor.

Biography

; The first times of its life Born the September 24th 1880 with Séméac (65) from Zélie Elisabeth Liautaud (Of Provence) and from Louis Voivenel (Norman), captain of the gendarmerie. Orphan early (1886) it is raised by the second woman of his father Catherine Dupont.

Provided education for in the primary education and the secondary (vat 1889) with Tarbes, it has taste for the Histoire and the Philosophie; after an alarm of health (lung disease) it is put at the practice of the sport, Athlétisme, Rugby (Bar at the time) and overcomes this alarm.

It makes medical studies with Toulouse of 1898 with 1901, which it continues of 1902 with 1908, after the military service - 1901 - 1902 - 57 {{E}} R.A.C. (Toulouse) and 61 {{E}} R.I (XV {{E}} A.C. Marseilles). Slogger, it passes Externat successfully then the Boarding school. A little before, the August 11th 1903 it married Marie-Louise Teulière, a 18 year old young girl, originating in Capoulet (Ariège) and whose family knew reverses of fortune, obliging it to take an use of Couturière. As it knew to carry out the household of its father it will remarkably hold to it his, and Voivenel, a baited worker, will contribute to it well on his side. Its marriage leads it to adopt the village where the family of his wife has a house, " small the maison" ; he speaks about Capoulet (09) like sound “village renatal”.

; Community activities, intellectual and passions By the Rugby which it practiced in one of the first clubs of Rugby of Toulouse (the Olympian Stade of the Toulouse Students), where the matches were delivered in the " Meadow of the filters " , it becomes after the fusion of this last with the section Rugby of the Veto Sport in the Stade Toulousain (1907), leader of this club, then President of the Comité of the Pyrenees (1909 - 1912), finally honorary president. Thereafter. There will remain always very close to the leading authorities, at the point to be charged under Vichy to propose solutions to put an end to the duality XIII, XV.

At the same time he writes sporting articles in the Toulouse newspapers, in particular the Dispatch under the pseudonyms of Phusis , Of GUI , Quassia of Amara . In several books he tells his memories related to Rugby; in its biographical novel entitled like its first volume, the Curve , but especially in My beautiful Rugby ; it takes again there some episodes of its newspaper of war, With the 67 {{E}} D.R., concerning the rugbymen in the Guerre of 14, in particular the high-speed motorboat of the Stade Toulousain, Alfred Mayssonnié, his friend, and that which will be its major assistance with the 211 {{E}} R.I, Paul Mouniq, captain of the Stade Toulousain.

Shining prone, rewarded by many prices, it does not choose the Chirurgie, by fear of its sight, but the Psychiatrie, and becomes the Senior registrar of the Professor Raymond (1908 - 1912). Its thesis Literature and madness is noticed by the literary circles in particular by Rémy de Gourmont and, thus, it will penetrate the Parisian literary circle (Symbolists) and journalistic (medical chronicler of the Mercure de France). It also starts to write books, the literary genius, with professor Rémond.

However it is annoyed with this last and must make a cross on a university career of qualified schoolteacher. It thus moves towards liberal medicine with dominant neuropsychiatric, while preserving its journalistic activities which it extends to Paris (Le Figaro, medical chronicle of the Journal of the experts) and to make conferences general public (November 1913).

; First World War In September 1913, during the army maneuvers, mobilized like Médecin assistant medical officer with the 257 {{E}} R.A.C., its spirit of by the way made that it contributes to save the life of the German military attach3e Von Winterfeldt, which is worth the Légion of honor and the to him Cravate of Commander about Prussia.

The war follows. As 1914 with 1918, it is used in turn with the 257 {{E}} R.A.C., 211 {{E}} R.I, 220 {{E}} R.I, Ambulance 15/6. On the war it initially published in collaboration Courage, the Cockroach, the psychology of the soldier, the war of the gases, one finds whole passages which it had taken in his newspaper of war. The men in the war are subjects of choice for the neuropsychiatrist; the behaviors induced by the new shapes of combat appeared with the conflict lead it to formulate analyzes with discharge of marked soldiers of cowardice, diagnosis of " constitution émotive" or of " fear morbide".

It also makes it possible to better include/understand the policy options of Dr. in the Entre-deux-guerres and during the Second world war, which confirms by extending them to other fields its saga romantic, three books, the Curve , the Doctor , In hoc signo , in fact its autobiography where it is put in scene under the name of " Campa" . It used also other pseudonyms, that of " Campagnou" , the first time, in the Newspaper of the experts to give an account of a congress of doctors neurologist S and Mental specialist S, but on the tone “of a country doctor, a little brutal, “badly knowing to hold the spoon with dessert” and of which could excuse a little sharp language when it crossait a pontiff” ; in the same way for that of " Silenos" ; finally " Selouze" “wood where was held the 211 {{E}} R.I in first line which will give sporting pseudonym according to war. ”

It there gains the Military Cross, the title of Officer of the Legion of Honor and finishes Medical officer, expert, very understanding, near the Conseils of war, " I dare to enorgueillir myself, in 3 years and half of war, not to have never punished or makes punish a combattant" , specialist in the affections due to the gas.

; Interval wars Of return to the civil life he knows some problems and must remake his place in the Toulouse medical environment. Its strong personality early made give again it to him; he is a doctor recognized in his city and on the national plan which “refuses to be qualified of doctor Neuropsychiatrie or of Aliéniste” but which “wants to be that of the hope”. It becomes one of notable of Toulouse, man who, nowadays, would be described as communication, it is with the head of the Groupe of the Twenty (a circle of men cultivated with the liberal professions or public important), monthly magazine the Archer, and, thanks to its Parisian relations, becomes acquainted with Bourdelle which will offer its Héraklès for the Monument to the sport and Mayssonnié, emblematic the player of the Stade Toulousain. It preserves its cultural activities at the Mercure de France, newspapers medical and different (it becomes a literary critic known, without kindness, under the pseudonyms of " Campagnou" and of " Silenos" , the father of the satyrs, a whole program!

Man of media also in his area; starting from 1930 it takes part in emissions of Radio-Toulouse, holds a chronicle in the Dispatch where it takes again the pseudonym of " Campagnou" and in the newspaper of Rugby under that of " Selouze" . Its conferences are run by the cultivated Toulouse company but also even reach a national, international public. Its literary production, especially in its speciality, is abundant but it is with its newspaper of war With the 67 {{E}} D.I.R. that it will receive in 1939 the Prix Montyon of the French Academy.

He attends and receives famous writers, politicians, He quotes among people whom he accepted with his table, the President Doumergue of which he was the doctor, the writers Georges Duhamel, Marcel Prévost, the general inspector of the libraries of France, pol. Nephews, the Admiral Lacaze, also writer, journalist, member of several academies of which the Frenchwoman, the professor, large surgeon, Emile Forgue, the aviator Rene Fonck, the journalist of the gastronomical press Georges Prade, also City council man of Paris, at the origin of the Cannes festival (1939), the naval officer, writer and historian of navy, shot for collaboration Paul Chack, the novelist, essay writer and German historian Jose, the son Jean Zyromski of the Socialist of tradition Guesdiste, antimunichois, Ernest Zyromski, intellectual Supporter of Dreyfus, who directed the Socialist Bataille. Especially he becomes a close relation of the marshal Pétain which will decorate it with the Ribbon of commander of the Legion of Honor in November 1933 and will come to inaugurate in 1935 the War memorial the of Capoulet-Junac (09). He will carry a indéfectible attachment thereafter to him.

On the political plan, if he becomes mayor of Capoulet-Junac (1935), he does not succeed in arriving, in spite of the support of the Dispatch, with other responsibilities (1931, failure like General adviser of Tarascon-on-Ariège).

; Second world war Become Lieutenant-colonel at the beginning of the war it receives and keeps with its request, without remuneration, in spite of its retirement, the responsibility with professor Riser for the Center for regional Neuro Psychiatrie.
Its attitude during the second world war is still prone to guarantee and discussion. It is proposed what it would have said the 27 June 1940: “We suffer, our temperament goes towards de Gaulle and we venerate Pétain. ” but it expresses and even would have inspired, for the period of Vichy, at least at the beginning, of the ideas of the national Révolution. He refuses a ministerial position, but, in " My beautiful rugby" , published in 1942, it testifies to hostile feelings to the Popular front, and the " free France " , anglophobes, of which the tone can point out Philippe Henriot. Thus it concocte the disappearance of the Rugby to XIII with invites authorities of Vichy (Borotra and Jep Pascot) (cf pages 218 to 234 of its book " My beautiful rugby" -1942, 1st or 2nd edition).
In In hoc signo , published in 1959, it apitoie on the fate of notorious collaborators, the Prosecutor Lespinasse, author of a xenophobe indictment and anti-semite which led to the Guillotine the person in charge of M.O.I, Marcel Langer. Finally he denounces on a tone mocker the conditions of the Libération of Toulouse.

However in this same book it evokes with emotion the arrest of the Frères Lion, its printers, by the Gestapo. Moreover, its function with C.N.P.C. enabled him to save Jews, the resistant ones pursued by the police force of Vichy and the Gestapo, to make false certificates to avoid S.T.O with young people. All that will be worth to him (its friendship, though agnostic, with the cardinal Saliège is not there for nothing) to be only worried with the Release in spite of its opinions, although he does not say anything the troubles that he could know.

; Post-war period and end of its life It is in these circumstances that his wife dies the 28 December 1944 and it is only in 1946 that it takes again the exercise of private medicine also keeping those of public services, P.T.T and S.N.C.F. It withdraws public life gradually. It joins again only partially, and for little time, with a Parisian medium where the literary modes changed and which it does not approve. In 1947 it ceases its activities with the Mercure de France; he pronounces his last conference continuous in December 1954 but to publish books, in particular his fictionalized memories mentioned above, but can make it only on account of author not interesting the large editors more.

In 1947 it remarie with the painter France Micoulau who becomes mayor of Capoulet-Junac in 1953. On its side it takes again its Chronique S in the press, in particular after the rebirth of the become Dispatch of the South with the remarks of Campagnou and in Olympic Midi with " Épilogues" , always under the pseudonym of " Selouze" , later, in 1959, with Radio-Toulouse, it holds a weekly chronicle, With broken sticks. In 1963, at 83 years, it ceases exerting medicine and is withdrawn in its " small maison" of Capoulet looked after by two servants but continues to send, almost to its death, its chronicles with the Dispatch of the South and with Olympic Midi.

In 1965, the General Catroux, a Gaulliste of the " free France " first hour, comes in Capoulet to do it Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. In 1969 his second wife dies, it feels that the fine one approaches and but old age prepares there… In 1973 his/her friends try to assemble with the assistance of Roland Dorgelès a file so that it obtains the Nobel Prize of Literature, but death stops this project.

It offered the majority of its works, dedicated, with the Public library of Séméac: “one does not sell the books which one likes, one gives them to his friends” , liked oneself it to say. It signed under another pseudonym, " Limaquès" Séméacais .

He died on June 9th 1975, without descent, with Pamiers (09). He is buried with Capoulet-Junac (09) where its " small maison" was transformed into Musée, mainly devoted to the Rugby.

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