Roland Desné facts for kids

Roland Desné (24 April 1931 – 9 July 2020) was a French writer, philosopher, and historian.

Biography

The son of a railway worker, Desné joined the French Communist Party with his philosophy professor, Guy Besse. In Paris, he met numerous other philosophers, including Louis Aragon, Arthur Adamov, Paul Éluard, Pierre Soulages, and René Étiemble. He published in France Nouvelle, La Nouvelle Critique, La Pensée, and Les Éditions sociales.

Desné defended his thesis on Denis Diderot under the direction of Jean Fabre and Jacques Chouillet. A student at the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud, he subsequently worked as a university associate while pursuing a career as a university professor. He then became a research associate at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. His final job as a professor came at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, where he founded the comparative literature department.

Following the works of Jean Meslier, Desné collaborated with Albert Soboul and Jean Deprun. The group travelled to Eastern Europe, the United States, Japan, and Tunisia. They received the Prix Dumas-Millier in 1972 for Œuvres complètes de Jean Meslier.

In the 1960s, he collaborated with Pierre Abraham to publish Histoire litteraire de la France published in 12 volumes by Éditions sociales.

Desné became involved with study and research for the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite. In 1989, he helped organize the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Roland Desné died in Paris on 9 July 2020 at the age of 89.