Queneau, Raymond

Queneau, Raymond
born Feb. 21, 1903, Le Havre, France
died Oct. 25, 1976, Paris

French author.

After working as a reporter, he became a reader for the prestigious Encyclopédie de la Pléiade, a scholarly edition of past and present classical authors; by 1955 he was its director. Verbal play, black humour, pessimism, and a derisive posture toward authority appear often in his more than 30 works of prose and poetry, which include the novels Zazie dans le métro (1959; film, 1960), perhaps his best-known work, and The Blue Flowers (1965).

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▪ French author
born Feb. 21, 1903, Le Havre, France
died Oct. 25, 1976, Paris

      French author who produced some of the most important prose and poetry of the mid-20th century.

      After working as a reporter for L'Intransigeant (1936–38), Queneau became a reader for the prestigious Encyclopédie de la Pléiade, a scholarly edition of past and present classical authors, and by 1955 was its director.

      From Queneau's Surrealist period in the 1920s he retained a taste for verbal juggling, a tendency toward black humour, and a derisive posture toward authority. His puns, sneers, spelling extravaganzas, and other linguistic contortions concealed a total pessimism, an obsession with death. His corrosive laughter rang out in the seemingly light verse of his childhood reminiscences in Chêne et chien (1937; “Oak and Dog”), a novel in verse, and in more philosophical poems: Les Ziaux (1943), Petite Cosmogonie portative (1950; “A Pocket Cosmogony”), and Si tu t'imagines (1952; “If You Imagine”).

      The pattern of his novels was similar: from a familiar setting—a suburb, an amusement park, or a Paris subway—emerged the vision of an absurd world. Such is the format of Le Chiendent (1933; The Bark Tree); Zazie dans le métro (1959; Zazie), probably his best-known work (filmed 1960); Les Fleurs bleues (1965; The Blue Flowers); and Le Vol d'Icare (1968; The Flight of Icarus). These chronicles of simple people are recounted in language that ranges from everyday slang to the loftiest poetic diction.

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  • Queneau, Raymond — (1903 1976)    writer    A French surrealist poet and humorous novelist, Raymond Queneau was born in Le Havre and received a degree in philosophy. From 1924 to 1929, he contributed to Révolution surréaliste, developing his ideas and writing style …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Queneau, Raymond — ► (1903 76) Escritor francés. Autor de la parodia Zazie en el metro (1959). * * * (21 feb. 1903, Le Havre, Francia–25 oct. 1976, París). Autor francés. Después de trabajar como reportero, se convirtió en lector para la prestigiosa Encyclopédie de …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Queneau, Raymond — pseud. di Presle, Michel …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Queneau — Queneau, Raymond …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Raymond Queneau — Activités Romancier, poète, dramaturge Naissance 21 février 1903 Le Havre Décès 25 octobre 1976 (à 73 ans) Paris Langue d écriture français …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Queneau — Raymond Queneau (* 21. Februar 1903 in Le Havre; † 25. Oktober 1976 in Neuilly bei Paris) war ein französischer Dichter und Schriftsteller. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werke 2.1 Romane …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Queneau — (Raymond) (1903 1976) écrivain français. D abord surréaliste, jouant sur le langage (Exercices de style, 1947), il publia des romans (le Chiendent, 1933; Zazie dans le métro, 1959) et des livres de poèmes. V. Oulipo …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Raymond — /ray meuhnd/, n. 1. Henry Jarvis /jahr vis/, 1820 69, U.S. publicist: founder of The New York Times. 2. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning counsel and protection. * * * (as used in expressions) Aron Raymond Claude Ferdinand Raymond… …   Universalium

  • Raymond — (as used in expressions) Aron, Raymond (Claude Ferdinand) Chandler, Raymond (Thornton) Tyrus Raymond Cobb Dart, Raymond Arthur Flatt, Lester (Raymond) Hood, Raymond M(athewson) Kroc, Ray(mond Albert) Leavis, F(rank) R(aymond) Loewy, Raymond… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • QUENEAU (R.) — Derrière des lunettes souriantes et une œuvre ouvertement bon enfant, Raymond Queneau apparaît comme un écrivain mystérieux: pas enveloppé , mais rempli de mystère. Au moment même où l’on croit saisir une intention, une propriété, une morale,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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