Roger Bichelberger

Roger Bichelberger (born on November 23rd 1938 with Alsting) is a French writer.

Its youths

Roger Bichelberger is born the November 23rd 1938 with Alsting, at the time a village of workmen and peasants. The following year, in September 1939, at the dawn of the Second world war, it is evacuated with its family in the Charentes. It returns one year later in its native village. His/her father then makes the reading with his mother, it listens without including/understanding. Beginning 1945, with the end of the German occupation, it discovers the French words by reading the dictionary. He also invents words for his own language. The same year, his/her father dies, leaving a mother without resource with three children; for the Roger young person, then 7 years old, his/her mother will become the pillar of her life.

Sunday, the Child of chorus which it is, is struck by the prayers; the Latin is for him a mysterious language.

In 1949, then old 11 years, it goes to the college to Saint-Hippolyte (Haut-Rhin) in Alsace, then at the Marianiste S with Nancy. It is there dreamer and solitary: he hates the plays that the others like (Football, etc); he prefers the asides. He will quickly be hated by his pawns, which see in him a spoilsport. He animates sometimes imaginary, sometimes real characters and thus creates his own mythology: the novelist broods already under the schoolboy. The chaplain of the college is the prototype of the kind and becomes a kind of “model” because of his impeccability. The Roger young person regularly shows incursions at his “model” if he believes in what he says: that consolidates its faith largely. Good pupil and calm, it flickers of the study, with the vault, his “Lilliputians” who are always there, even in the most serious moments. He discovers Blaise Pascal then, devours his Pensées ; the music opens a new dimension to him. Around fifteen years, it begins its first writings. It meets arts persons (François Mauriac inter alia).

Of return to the house, it finds it small and his/her mother is the character; he has little dialog with her. Its countryside makes it sensitive and a dimension in the Mythisme and the writing gives him. The reading of Therese Desqueyroux reveals its heroin to him: the small Hope (the main character of the history). The insane love Man/God becomes one of the theses of its works. The character whom it hitherto animated in his head take life on paper.

Of 1955 with 1959, it is Clerc of notary. During its military service, of 1959 with 1961, it continues its studies and receives its baccalaureat in 1961; it Marie the same year with Denise.

Its beginnings mixing writing and professorship

He was initially teacher at the Small-Rosselle school of (until in 1968) then professor with Freyming-Merlebach and Forbach thereafter. He passes his aggregation then, then doctorate in letter (its Thèse bearing on Julien Green). He continues to teach in the colleges, whereas he could teach with faculty; its choice is guided by its attachment with the college Jean-Mill of Forbach and this city in general. Always of mood equalizes, it is a serene man, appreciated by his pupils who have respect towards him: never it has to raise the voice. Large specialist in François Mauriac, it tries to share this passion with his pupils, in particular in their making read the Baiser with the leprous and the Sagouin .

He is initiating, in the Années 1970 with the college Jean-Mill, of a review (or rather a book) of poetry named PoéPro. This workshop of discussion on poetry and prose is in particular constant by Andrée Chédid; there various writers are invited, such as Jacques de Bourbon Busset, Catherine Paysan or Michel Del Castillo.

Its “mistakes of youth” (in 1961) are the publication of a novel (or rather of an account made up of continuation of tables) and of a play under the pseudonym Roger de Saint-Deny (“holy” symbolizing its religious beliefs and “Deny” a deformation of the first name of its wife, Denise).

Its first two works which it then publishes under its true name are Rencontre with François Mauriac and God in flower of blood . Its first novel, published in 1974, At the dawn of the first day , is strongly inspired by the biblical writings, its pupils find his style and its fine humor there, always accessible.

He is a sporadic writer of the reviews Vie and Fraternité Marianistes and Croire Today , its articles is primarily devoted to spirituality. It becomes in 1977 member of the Jury Erckmann-Chatrian, rewarding the local writings (he becomes president in 1989 besides about it) and in 1987, member of the Jury of the writers believers. He is critical arts person with the Lorraine Républicain , the regional newspaper and collaborates in the magazine Panorama . He belongs to the national Académie of Metz and of the Académie of Alsace. He is also member of the European association François Mauriac, based with Saint-Avold. He takes part in the televisual emission Aujourd'hui the life on Antenne 2, the debate, which is familiar for him, being entitled: “To believe, but in what? ”.

Rewards

In April 1987, it receives the German price Peter Wust, rewarding “a pedagog, a man of letters or writer, an artist or politician of the Saar, of Lorraine, of Alsace or Luxembourg, having work with the Christian comprehension of the life”, for the whole of its work.

Anecdotes

It knows to recognize value of last in its works (a child whom he knew for example), it with the memory of each small anecdotes, each stories of each one. It is invested without waiting in return, by sponsoring for example literary events at the community of the Compagnons of Move by Forbach.
It is said “Christian which writes” and not “Christian writer”.
It wishes to die “lucid and conscious not to miss the most important act by its life”.
Its currency: “To like”.

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