- published: 02 Jun 2014
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Maurice Druon (April 23, 1918 – April 14, 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie française.
Born in Paris, France, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he translated the Chant des Partisans, a French Resistance anthem of World War II, with music and words (in Russian) originally by Anna Marly.
In 1948 he received the Prix Goncourt for his novel Les grandes familles.
He was elected to the 30th seat of the Académie française on December 8, 1966, succeeding Georges Duhamel. On the death of Henri Troyat on 2 March 2007, he became the Dean of the Académie, its longest-serving member.
While his scholarly writing earned him a seat at the Académie, he is best known for a series of seven historical novels published in the 1950s under the title Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings).
He was Minister of Cultural Affairs (1973–1974) in Pierre Messmer's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris (1978–1981).
Druon was a descendant of Brazilian author Odorico Mendes.
The individual English titles below are from the Scribner English editions as published in the United States, rather than literal translations of the original French titles.
[Note: The name Myrrys is a shaman's trance-state, or spirit journey]
Ôôni tuulen, varjot puiden
Yksinôni uneksin, haltioissa ylenin
Æinen rauha, pilvien like
Lensin yli metsien, keralla pilvien
Sammasta kiipesin kannelle taivaan
Salot siniset, kammiot kultaiset
Juoksimme taivaan niityillô lôpi tôhtitarhain
Ikimenneiden ilmoilta, kadonneiden kartanoilta
Varman viisauden tapasin, elon kullan l³ysin
Sammasta laskeuduin kannelta taivaan.
[English translation:]
The voice of the wind, the shadows of trees
Alone I dreamt, in spirit-powers grew;
Nocturnal calm, the movement of clouds
Amongst them I over the forests flew.
I ascended the World Tree to the Dome of the heavens
Blue-hued islands, golden chambers
In the meadows of heaven we ran through the stars;
From the lands of the deceased and tracts of the lost
True wisdom I found, Life's Gold I discovered.