Pierre Gamarra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pierre Gamarra
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Gamarra in Toulouse, 1945
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| Born | Pierre Albert Gamarra 10 July 1919 Toulouse, France |
| Died | 20 May 2009 (aged 89) Argenteuil, France |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Novel, Children's literature, Fable, Poetry, Essay |
| Subject | Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées |
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Pierre Gamarra (born July 10, 1919 – died May 20, 2009) was a French writer. He was a poet, a novelist, and a literary critic. For many years, he was the main editor and director of the famous literary magazine Europe.
Gamarra is best known for his poems and novels written for young people. Many of his stories and poems are about his home region, Midi-Pyrénées, in France.
Contents
Life of Pierre Gamarra
Pierre Gamarra was born in Toulouse, France, on July 10, 1919. He worked as a teacher in the South of France from 1938 to 1940.
During World War II, when Germany occupied France, Gamarra joined groups that resisted the occupation. He helped write and share secret newspapers. This led him to become a journalist and later a writer.
In 1948, Pierre Gamarra won an important award called the Charles Veillon International Prize. He received it in Switzerland for his first novel, La Maison de feu. This book was praised for its beautiful writing about everyday life.
From 1945 to 1951, he worked as a journalist in Toulouse. In 1951, famous writers like Louis Aragon asked him to move to Paris. There, he became the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Europe. He held this job until 1974, when he became the director of the magazine. Under his leadership, Europe continued its mission to share great literature. Gamarra also wrote a book review column for the magazine until 2009.
Many of his novels take place in the South-West of France, where he grew up. He wrote a series of three novels about the history of Toulouse. He also wrote stories set along the Garonne river or in the Pyrenees mountains.
One of his novels, The Midnight Roosters, is set during the French Revolution. It was even made into a TV film in 1973. The film was shot in the town of Najac.
In 1955, he published Le Maître d’école, which became one of his most famous novels. Its sequel, La Femme de Simon (1962), was also very popular. His short stories, like those in Les Amours du potier (1957), often showed the lives of ordinary people.
Pierre Gamarra received more awards for his writing. In 1961, he won the Prize for the Youth for L'Aventure du Serpent à Plumes. In 1985, he won the SGDL Grand Prize for his novel Le Fleuve Palimpseste.
Pierre Gamarra passed away on May 20, 2009, in Argenteuil. He left behind many books, poems, and fables. Many of his works are still very popular with French schoolchildren today. He is remembered as a skilled writer of children's poetry and stories.
Selection of Works
Literature for Young People
Stories
- Les Vacances de tonton 36 (2006)
- Moustache et ses amis de toutes les couleurs (2005)
- Douze tonnes de diamant (1978)
- L'Aventure du Serpent à plumes, Prize for the Youth 1961
- Berlurette series:
- Berlurette contre Tour Eiffel (1961)
- Le Trésor de Tricoire (1959)
- Le Mystère de la Berlurette (1957)
- La Rose des Karpathes (1955)
- The Bridge on the River Clarinette (in English, 1975)
Fables
- Salut, Monsieur de La Fontaine (2005)
- La Mandarine et le Mandarin (1970)
Poetry
- Mon cartable et autres poèmes à réciter (2006)
- Des mots pour une maman (1984)
- Voici des maisons (1979)
- Les Mots enchantés (1952)
- 'My schoolbag' (in English, 2019)
CD
- Les Aventuriers de l'alphabet (2002)
Adaptations
- Les Fariboles de Bolla (1981)
Novels
- L'Empreinte de l'ours (2010)
- Les Coqs de minuit (2009)
- Le Maître d'école (2008)
- Les Lèvres de l’été (1986)
- Le Fleuve palimpseste (1985), SGDL Prize for the novel
- Cantilène occitane (1979)
- La Femme et le Fleuve (1952)
- L’assassin a le prix Goncourt (1951)
- Les Enfants du pain noir (1950)
- La Maison de feu (1948), Charles Veillon International Prize
- Toulouse series:
- 72 soleils (1975)
- L'Or et le Sang (1970)
- Les Mystères de Toulouse (1967)
Short Stories
- Les Amours du potier (1957)
- Un cadavre; Mange ta soupe, National Council of the Resistance Prize 1944
Poetry Collections
- Mon Pays l'Occitanie (2009)
- Romances de Garonne (1990)
- Essais pour une malédiction (1943), Hélène Vacaresco Prize for Poetry
About Pierre Gamarra
Pierre Gamarra was honored in many ways. Several streets are named after him, including one in Argenteuil and one in Montauban. Two schools, one in Montauban and one in Bessens, also carry his name. You can also find two public libraries named after him, in Argenteuil and Andrest.
See also
In Spanish: Pierre Gamarra para niños
- Europe (magazine)
External resources
- Encyclopædia Britannica about Pierre Gamarra
- Encyclopædia Universalis article (in French)
- Pierre Gamarra on the website of Printemps des Poètes (in French)
