French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Cresciucci, Jacques Laurent à l'oeuvre - Itinéraire d'un enfant du siècle
Writers: Biography, Letters and Memoirs

Alain Cresciucci

Jacques Laurent à l'oeuvre - Itinéraire d'un enfant du siècle

Ed. Pierre-Guillaume de Roux, 2014

374 p. / 14,0 cm × 22,5 cm × 3,3 cm

ISBN: 9782363711021

25.5 €

Publisher's presentation:

Jacques Laurent was one of the most prominent intellectuals of the post-war era, working as a novelist, essayist, polemicist, journalist, and patron of two high-caliber cultural reviews—Arts and La Parisienne. How, then, can one explain his current low profile in the cultural landscape? His books are rarely reprinted and seldom available in paperback editions. And yet, honors did not elude him: he won the Prix Goncourt in 1971 and the Grand Prix de Littérature from the Académie française in 1981, before being elected a member in 1986.
Undoubtedly, a certain mystery surrounds Jacques Laurent and his alter ego. On one side stands the demanding novelist Jacques Laurent, who burst onto the literary scene in 1949 with a sweeping, thousand-page novel, Les corps tranquilles; on the other, inhabiting the same person, is the popular author Cecil Saint-Laurent, who emerged in 1948 with an improbable bestseller, Caroline chérie... Cecil Saint-Laurent is a storyteller and historical novelist who infuses the events he depicts—from the French Revolution to the Algerian War—with a romantic flair that sets him apart from traditional historians. For Jacques Laurent, the novel is a realm of freedom and sensibility, and he steadfastly refused any rigid definition of the genre.
The coexistence of the two Laurents remained harmonious, even if occasional rivalry arose. His impressive output reveals a true workaholic—whether writing under the name Saint-Laurent or his own—whose special working method, as recounted by Bertrand de Saint-Vincent for Caroline chérie, was as follows: "...from April 14 to August 1, 1947, he went every morning to the Bibliothèque nationale to reread the memoirs of period figures.
In the afternoon, from three to seven o'clock, in his shirtsleeves, pacing endlessly around a furnished hotel room, smoking four Gauloises an hour, never hesitating for more than ten seconds over a word, and knocking out ten to twenty pages per session, he would dictate the adventures of Caroline as his imagination guided him." To this novelistic fertility was added a rich body of essays spanning the most diverse genres: from the political pamphlet and literary study to historical essays, passing through the sociology of clothing and undergarments.
True to the spirit of the Hussards, Jacques Laurent did not hesitate to indulge in a healthy dose of insolence and thumb his nose at the established intelligentsia. A case in point is his famous Mauriac sous de Gaulle, which led to his conviction for offending the Head of State. Eclecticism, independence of mind and means, and profound originality are the hallmarks of this unjustly forgotten intellectual and artist.

Alain Cresciucci examines the fascinating duality of a figure who navigated high literature and popular fiction with equal vigor. Associated with the intellectual movement known as the Hussards—a group of writers who championed stylistic independence, elegance, and a deliberate counter-stance to prevailing existentialist orthodoxies—Laurent cultivated an ethos of literary freedom. The study sheds light on his eclectic output, which ranged from demanding novels to incisive political pamphlets and broad historical narratives, reflecting the vibrant yet contentious landscape of French letters during the latter half of the twentieth century.

This volume serves as a valuable resource for readers interested in post-war French intellectual history, the dynamics of literary fame, and the sociology of authorship. By tracing Laurent's intricate trajectory, the book addresses enduring questions regarding how cultural memory is shaped and why certain prominent voices fade from contemporary curricula. Scholars, literary historians, and enthusiasts of twentieth-century prose will find this work an engaging invitation to reassess a prolific creator whose dual identities as Jacques Laurent and Cecil Saint-Laurent left an indelible mark on French publishing.