Benjamin Crémieux
French literary critic and writer (1888–1944)
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Benjamin Crémieux (1888–1944) was a French author, critic and literary historian.
Early life
Military service
He fought in World War I during his obligatory military service in the French Army and was severely wounded during battle.[1][2]:452 After the war he focused on studying Italian literature and history.[2]:452
Career
Crémieux contributed to a variety of literary magazines and journals, including La Gazette du Franc,[3]:270 and the influential literary journal Nouvelle Revue Française (NRF). He started writing for the NRF in 1920 and Jean Paulhan invited him to be a member of the journal's editorial committee as early as 1926.[4][5][6]:22
In 1928 he defended his doctoral thesis Essai Sur l'évolution littéraire de l'Italie de 1870 á nos jours at the Sorbonne, which was published later that year.[7]:41 He published one of his most important texts in 1931, Inquiétude et Reconstruction, which provided a survey of French literature since the turn of the century.[8]:139
He also served in a variety of service roles. He was 'chief of the Italian bureau of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs'[7]:41 and the permanent secretary of the French section of the PEN Club.[8]:139
In 1940, Crémieux joined the French underground and became a leader of the Maquis.[1]
Death
In April 1943, two Gestapo agents detained Crémieux in Marseilles.[2]:458 He was arrested, imprisoned, and deported to Nazi Germany, where, in April 1944 he was executed in the Buchenwald concentration camp.[2]:458.
Legacy
Crémieux introduced a number of important literary figures to the French public through his translations, including Luigi Pirandello and Italo Svevo;[8]:138 he was also an early champion of the works of Marcel Proust.[7]