Gérard de Villiers
Gérard de Villiers (born December 8, 1929 in Paris ; † October 31, 2013 there ) was a French writer , editor and journalist . In Germany he became known as the author of the paperback series Malko . By 2007 his works had reached a total international circulation of around 150 million copies.
Origin, career, writing and journalistic activity
Villier's parents are Valentine Dupin de Saint-André and Jacques Adam de Villiers. The father's family was of noble origin and came from the island of Reunion . Villiers had diplomas from the École supérieure de journalisme de Paris and the Institut d'études politiques de Paris . In the Algerian War he served as an officer; he then worked as a foreign correspondent for the magazines Rivarol , Paris-Presse and France Dimanche .
Since 1965 he worked as a freelance author and started the secret service series SAS , which is still published in France today and which was published from 1977 to 2001 by Cora Verlag in Berlin in German translation under the title Malko . The main character of the same name is an Austrian aristocrat. Two of his novels were made into a film: SAS à San Salvador (German dubbed SAS Malko, commissioned by the Pentagon , F / BRD 1983, directed by Raoul Coutard 1983) and Eye of the Widow (F / USA 1991, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen ).
In 1970 he published a biography on Henri Charrière (Papillon impaled) , in 1975 on the Shah of Persia , Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , both of which were translated into German. 2001 translation into German appeared his Enquête sur un génocide with the German title bloodbath in Rwanda .
In addition to his writing activities, he has also published police series such as Brigades Mondaines , L'Implacable and L'Exécuteur as well as the science fiction series Blade, Voyageur de l'Infini and JAG .
Works
- The Shah. The unstoppable rise of Mohamed Reza Pahlewi. Econ, Vienna / Düsseldorf 1975, ISBN 3-430-19364-8 .
- Papillon skewered. The 5 Truths of Henri Charrière. Desch, Munich / Vienna / Basel 1970, ISBN 3-420-04587-5 .
Filmography (selection)
- 1982: SAS Malko - On behalf of the Pentagon (SAS à San Salvador)
Web links
- Literature by and about Gérard de Villiers in the catalog of the German National Library
- Hugh Schofield: Get out of Afghanistan. France's million-selling spy writer , in: Sunday Times Online , Sri Lanka, 7 October 2007
- Robert F. Worth: The Spy Novelist Who Knows Too Much , in: New York Times Online , New York, January 30, 2013
- Robert F. Worth: The Man Who Knows Too Much. , in: Die Welt , Berlin, from April 21, 2013
Individual evidence
- ↑ French spy novelist De Villiers dies ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Robert Worth: Gérard de Villiers, 83, French Spy Writer, Dies. nytimes, November 2, 2013, accessed November 2, 2013
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Villiers, Gérard de |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French writer, editor and journalist |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 8, 1929 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Paris |
DATE OF DEATH | October 31, 2013 |
Place of death | Paris |