Jean Daniel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Daniel
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Jean Daniel Bensaid
21 July 1920 Blida, Algeria
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| Died | 19 February 2020 (aged 99) |
| Education | University of Algiers Sorbonne |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Founder of Le Nouvel Observateur |
| Spouse(s) | Michèle Bancilhon |
| Children | Sara Daniel |
Jean Daniel Bensaid (born July 21, 1920 – died February 19, 2020) was a famous French journalist and writer. He started and led a weekly magazine called Le Nouvel Observateur. Today, this magazine is known as L'Obs.
Contents
Jean Daniel's Early Life and Career
Jean Daniel was born in Blida, Algeria. He was the youngest of 11 children! His father, Jules Bensaid, worked as a flour miller.
Education and War Service
Jean Daniel went to the University of Algiers before World War II began. During the war, he joined a group that helped free Algiers. He also took part in the Normandy landings as part of the Free French forces. These forces were led by a general named Philippe Leclerc.
After the war, Daniel studied philosophy at Sorbonne University in Paris. He also worked for a French politician, Félix Gouin, writing speeches for him.
His Ideas and Beliefs
Jean Daniel was a humanist and part of the French Left political movement. He was a close friend and colleague of the famous writer Albert Camus. Both of them were "pieds-noirs," which means French people born in Algeria.
Daniel believed that some Jewish people in the West lived in a "self-imposed prison." He thought this "prison" was made of three invisible walls. These walls were the idea of being a Chosen People, remembering the Holocaust, and supporting Israel. He felt that being too focused on these ideas made it harder to understand others' suffering, especially the Palestinians.
Jean Daniel's Journalism Career
Jean Daniel had a long and important career in journalism. He helped start magazines and reported on major world events.
Starting Magazines
In 1947, Daniel helped create a magazine called Caliban. It was published until 1951. After that, he worked as a teacher for a while.
In 1956, he became a reporter for L'Express magazine. He covered the Algerian War, which was a fight for Algeria's independence from France. Daniel supported Algeria's independence. Because of this, he received threats from a group called the Organisation armée secrète (OAS).
Reporting on Key Events
In 1963, Jean Daniel was interviewing Fidel Castro in Cuba. While they were talking, news came that U.S. President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Castro said, "This is bad news." He worried that some people might blame him for Kennedy's death.
Kennedy had actually given Daniel a message for Castro. The message said that the U.S. could accept a Cuban government that was "nationalist, even communist." But it could not accept a country that was controlled by the Soviet Union.
Founding Le Nouvel Observateur
In 1964, Jean Daniel and Claude Perdriel started a new version of a French magazine. They renamed it Le Nouvel Observateur. This magazine became very well-known. It covered political, business, and economic news in France and around the world every week. On October 23, 2014, the magazine changed its name again to L'Obs.
Jean Daniel's Published Works
Jean Daniel also wrote several books and articles.
Books
- The Jewish Prison: a Rebellious Meditation on the State of Judaism (translated into English in 2005)
Articles
- "We Already Miss His Vigilance" (published in Telos journal in 1980)
See also
In Spanish: Jean Daniel para niños
