Robert Kemp

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Robert Kemp (born October 8, 1879 in Paris , † July 3, 1959 ) was a French literary and theater critic who was elected to the Académie française in 1956 .

Life

Kemp came from a family of artists and was the grandson of an actor at the Comédie-Française and the son of a painter . After attending school, he studied philosophy at the University of Paris - Sorbonne , where he devoted himself to the works of Émile Faguet and Gustave Lanson . After completing his studies, he first became a teacher in private schools , then a journalist and finally a critic for L'Aurore magazine . When the First World War broke out , he became a correspondent for the radio agency at the headquarters of the armed forces .

After the end of the war he became a cultural critic and also worked under the pseudonym Robert Dézaraulds. In 1929 he became a theater critic under his real name for the magazine Le Temps , where he worked until he was replaced by Pierre Brisson in 1934. He then worked as a culture, literary and theater critic for the daily Le Monde until his retirement , where he gained a reputation as a great connoisseur of contemporary literature. In addition, he was both a lecturer at the Comédie-Française and temporarily president of the Association of Literary Critics. In addition to thousands of articles, he has also written several books dealing with theater, literature and music, as well as biographies about Cäcilia of Rome and the actress Edwige Feuillère .

On November 29, 1956, Kemp was elected to succeed Louis Madelin as a member of the Académie française and took the fifth armchair (Fauteuil 5) there until his death. His competitor Henri Massis received only seven votes in this election. Previously, elections to succeed Émile Mâle and Paul Claudel had failed in 1954, 1955 and 1956 .

Robert Kemp was also in command of the Legion of Honor , the Ordre des Palmes Académiques and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres .

Publications

  • Sainte Cécile, patronne des musiciens , 1942
  • Lectures dramatiques , 1947
  • Edwige Feuillère , 1952
  • Moscou reçoit , 1954
  • La vie des livres , 1955
  • La vie du théâtre , 1956
  • Penseurs, historiens, critiques et moralistes du XIXe siècle , 1958
  • Au jour le jour , 1958

Web links and sources

personal data
SURNAME Kemp, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dézaraulds, Robert (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French literary, music and theater critic
DATE OF BIRTH October 8, 1879
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH 3rd July 1959