Michel Tournier

French writer, who gained fame at the age of forty-three with his first novel, Vendredi
ou les Limbes du Pacifique (1967, Friday; or, The Other Island, an ingenio!s rewor"ing
of the classic #o$inson %r!soe theme& 'ichel To!rnier(s )arodic and sometimes
dist!r$ing wor"s can $e read as comments !)on the contem)orary world, $!t are often
$ased on old myths and stories&
Robinson was too exhausted to measure the full extent of his misfortune. "Since it isn't Ms a Tierra" he
reflected simply, "then it is the Island of esolation," summin! up his own situation with this impropmptu
babtism. (in Friday, 1967
'ichel To!rnier was $orn in *aris, the son of +l)honse To!rnier, and 'arie-'adeleine,
n,e Fo!rnier& -is )arents had met at the .or$onne where they $oth st!died /erman&
To!rnier also learned to s)ea" /erman at an early age, when each s!mmer his mother
wo!ld ta"e her children to stay in her favorite $oarding ho!se in /ermany& +fter $eing
wo!nded in the 0orld 0ar I, his father had given !) the idea of $ecoming a teacher& -e
started a $!siness to ta"e in royalties for a!thors( record rights& These recorded te1ts, and
the tales of +ndersen, .elma 2agerl3f, 4ames Oliver %!rwood, gave rise to To!rnier(s
h!nger for the world of imagination and love for $oo"s& The family lived first near the
fashiona$le 5o!levard -a!ssmann& 2ater they moved to a large ho!se in .aint-/ermain-
en-2aye, near *aris& In 1967 his family $o!ght a former rectory in the hamlet of %hoisel
as a vacation home& It $ecame event!ally To!rnier(s )ermanent residence&
To!rnier was ed!cated at .t&-/ermain-en 2aye and at a large n!m$er of )rivate schools,
mostly religio!s& 7!ring 0orld 0ar II /erman soldiers were stationed in the family(s
.aint-/ermain-en 2aye& To!rnier com)leted his !ndergrad!ate st!dies and )artly !nder
the infl!ence of /aston 5achelard and 4ean-*a!l .artre, he contin!ed to higher degrees
in )hiloso)hy and law at .or$onne& -e s)ent fo!r years at the 8niversity of T9$in$eg
(19:6-6;, )lanning a career in )hiloso)hy and ed!cation& -is thesis was a$o!t *lato&
2i"e his father, he did not )ass the agrgation, a com)etitive state e1amination for
admission to the most im)ortant teaching <o$s& 0hen he failed on his second attem)t,
To!rnier a$andoned his )lan to $ecome a teacher of )hiloso)hy&
5etween 19:9 and 196: To!rnier wrote and )rod!ced for French radio and television&
-e was the chief editor for the )!$lishing firm of *lon (196=-6=, a )ress attach, at the
#adio >!ro)e I (196:-196=, and hosted the television series La Chambre Noir, which
was a$o!t )hotogra)hy& ?I wasn(t !nha))y, $!t things weren(t going well,? he recalled&
?To $e a fail!re is fine when yo!(re yo!ng, $!t the older yo! get, the harder it is to stand
it&? -e wrote for the maga@ine Nouvelles Littraires and translated >rich 'aria
#emarA!e(s novels into French& In World Authors !"#$%& To!rnier descri$es this )eriod
as an e1cellent time to )re)are his first novel and reconcile fiction and )hiloso)hy !sing
myths as a vehicle& -e wrote three novels, which he did not consider worthy of $eing
offered for )!$lication&
To!rnier(s mythic novels hit the literary scene at the right moment, when the a!dience
was tired of the no!vea! roman, with its diffic!lt style of writing, avoidance of character
analysis, a$sence of clear narrative, and em)hasis on descri)tion instead of
dramati@ation& 0hen he $egan writing, he too" as models s!ch a!thors as Bola, 4!les
#enard, and %olette& T!rning his $ac" on the modern world, To!rnier so!ght ins)iration
from the realms of fantasy and old stories told from a fresh )oint of view& -e showed
that reada$ility doesn(t mean lac" of de)th& ?+ dead myth is called allegory,? To!rnier
once said& ?The writer(s f!nction is to )revent myths t!rning into allegories&? Cot
satisfied in merely retelling esta$lished myths and legends, To!rnier deconstr!cts them
in s!ch a way that o)ens new ways of inter)retation& 2i"e in the wor" of the .wedish
Co$el writer *Dr 2ager"vist, the f!ndamental A!estions of good and evil, h!man
s!ffering and meaning of e1istence, are e1amined in the conte1t of %hristian and
alternative )aradigms&
0ith Friday To!rnier won in 1967 the /rand *ri1 de #oman& It retells 7aniel
7efoe(s 'obinson Crusoe $!t gives the story a )hiloso)hical de)th& (Cearly E; years
later the Co$el writer 4&'& %oet@ee)layed with 7efoe(s classic novel in Foe& This time a
woman shares the island with #o$inson and Friday& The famo!s hero is marooned on
the desert island with his )i)e to$acco, a co)y of the 5i$le, and a modern identity
)ro$lem& +fter a$andoning his c!lt!ral $ac"gro!nd and sin"ing into animalism, %r!soe
ret!rns to the world of the s)irit $y the no$le act of writing& ?+ new life th!s $egan for
him F or more e1actly, it was the $eginning of his tr!e life on the island, after that )eriod
of degradation which he now tho!ght of with shame and so!ght to forget&? %r!soe
develo)s a mystical relationshi) with his island, which he names >s)eran@a& 0hen the
resc!e shi) a))ears, %r!soe re<ects the $r!tality of civili@ation reflected in the shi)(s
crew& -e stays on the island, and Friday chooses to leave, not acce)ting %r!soe(s version
of the world&
In sym)athy with other wor"ers, To!rnier went on stri"e and was fired, $!t his
severance allowed him to contin!e his writing& Three years later To!rnier )!$lished his
second novel, Le 'oi des aulnes (197;, The Ogre, which won the *ri1 /onco!rt& The
wor" was ins)ired $y /oethe(s famo!s $allad, (7er >rl"3nig( (17=E, and /9nter
/rass(s (he (in )rum (1969& To!rnier $ro!ght together the myths of .t %hristo)her and
the >rl Ging, set against the $ac"gro!nd of >ast *r!ssia d!ring the Third #eich& In the
novel the ogre, +$el Tiffa!ges, is a monstro!s and innocent character, a French )risoner
in /ermany who assists the Ca@is $y searching for $oys for a Ca@i military cam)&
Tiffa!ges is o$sessed $y his conviction that everything in the world is a sign& 7estiny
leads him to #ominten, the )rivate h!nting reverve of the ?/reat -!ntsman? of the Third
#eich, Field 'arshal -ermann /3ring& In the end he )erishes while resc!ing a little
4ewish $oy& In 1976 there a))eared Les *tores (/emini, a $aroA!e treatment of the
myth of %astor and *oll!1, which co!ld $e read as a contem)orary version of 4!les
Herne(s Around the World in +ighty )ays& 5eginning from %r!soe, To!rnier(s men are
often solitary characters; he sees that the the nat!ral antagonism of male and female is
the ma<or so!rce of )ro$lems for h!man $eings& In ,emini Thomas Go!sse" arg!es that
?the heterose1!al wants to lead the free, !nattached life of the homose1!al no$ility& 5!t
the more he $rea"s o!t, the more firmly he is recalled to his )roletarian condition&?
Friday, rewritten for children as Friday and 'obinson (1971, was less than half the
lenght of the original& For the most )art, %r!soe(s log$oo" entries were eliminated, $!t
To!rnier added also new scenes, s!ch as the invention of games and arts& .ome of this
material was introd!ced into the revised ad!lt )a)er$ac"e edition in 197E& >n<oying an
enormo!s )o)!larity in France, the children(s version was made $y +ntoine Hite@ into a
stage )lay and in 19=E it was ada)ted into a si1-ho!r TH series& ?For To!rnier, writing
can only ever $e rewriting, not <!st the rewriting of "ey myths $!t also conscio!s and
!nconscio!s inter-te1t!ality& The rewriting of Friday for children is merely the most
o$vio!s e1am)le of a com)!lsion to rewor" his fictional narratives&? ('ichael Til$y
in Contem-orary World Writers, ed& Tracy %hevalier, 199I
Le Coq de bruy.re (197=, To!rnier(s first collection of short fictions, incl!ded also a
)lay, Le Ftichiste& .ome of the stories had $een )!$lished individ!ally in ill!strated
editions for children& The first rewrites /enesis; /od is )ortrayed as a narcissist and
+dam is $ise1!al $efore /od creates >ve, his female half& (+mandine o! les de!1
<ardins(, (2a f!g!e d! )etit *o!cet( and (T!)i"( foc!sed on children growing !) in a
restrictive environment& To!rnier has not avoided dealing with ta$oo s!$<ects, s!ch as
)olitics and se1, in his children(s stories, and he had tro!$les in finding a )!$lisher
a$road for the )ict!re$oo" Pierrot ou les secrets de la nuit (1979, which he called ?a
hymn to a )hysical contact? and ?a lesson in love&? -owever, its s!ggestive ending
shoc"ed even ad!lt readers in France& (Crossover Fiction/ ,lobal and 0istorical Pers-ectives $y .andra
2& 5ec"ett, E;;=, )& 196 In 19=1, the $oo" won the )ri@e for $est foreign children(s $oo" at the
2ei)@ig 5oo" Fair&
To!rnier(s fo!th novel, ,as-ard, *elchior et 1altha2ar (19=;, The Fo!r 0ise 'en
rewor"ed the familiar %hristian legend of the three "ings who came to 5ethlehem to
honor the 'essiah(s $irth& Taor, the fo!rth 'agi, according to #!ssian myth, travelled
from India& Taor did not reach 5ethlehem in time, $!t resc!ed a gro!) of children from
the 'assacre of the Innocents& The story weaves together realistic elements with the
fantastic, and ma"es a gro!nd$rea"ing move away from the formalism of the French
no!vea! roman& +fter the )!$lication of (he Four Wise *en, To!rnier was at the height
of his career, considered to $e France(s leading novelist& 7issatified with the novel F ?I
didn(t go far eno!gh?, he said F To!rnier wrote a children(s version, which came o!t
!nder the title Les 'ois *ages (19=I& The following ad!lt novel he did not rewrite for
children, feeling that he has no need to )!$lish novels se)arately for ad!lts and children&
,illes et 3eanne (19=I ret!rned to the story of 4oan of +rc and her contem)orary, the
mass m!rderer /illes de #ais& These o))osite characters meet in the first section& La
goutte d4or (19=6 was intended )artly as an attac" on France(s racist attit!des toward its
Corth +frican migrant wor"ers& It the )oetic story a$o!t the )light of these la$orers the
)rotagonist is Idris, a yo!ng 5er$er and a "ind of Friday fig!re& In the middle of the
desert he meets a $ea!tif!l white woman who ta"es a )hoto of him, )romising to send it
to Idris& -e waits for the )ict!re in vain, and then decides to travel to France, to find the
woman& In *aris he e1)eriences all the h!miliations of an o!tsider and faces the
s!)erficial world of )ict!res& To save himself in the la$yrinth of mirages, he starts to
learn the art of calligra)hy& ?2e signe est es)rit, l(image est matiJre&? Le *dianoche
amoureu5 (19=9, The 'idnight 2ove Feast incl!ded a novella, short stories, and short
(fa$les(& In the novella (The Tacit!rn 2overs( e1amined the $asic )sychological warfare
$etween men and womenK ?0hat is a domestic sceneL It(s the woman(s tri!m)h& It(s
when the woman has finally forced the man o!t of her silence $y her nagging& Then he
sho!ts, he rages, he(s a$!sive, and the woman s!rrenders to $eing vol!)t!o!sly stee)ed
in this ver$al down)o!r&?
To!rnier was elected mem$er of the +cad,mie /onco!rt in 197E& To!rnier(s literary
a!to$iogra)hy came o!t in 1977 !nder the title Le Vent Paraclet& 7es)ite )referring to
comm!te to *aris from his home only for $!siness or for literary activities, To!rnier
freA!ently visited schools and corres)onded with classes $y ta)e cassette& In addition to
novels, To!rnier has written essays, short stories, )rose )oems, the travel $oo" Le
vagabond immobile (19=:, and <!venile $oo"s& .everal of his wor"s have $een
ill!strated )hotogra)hs ta"en $y >do!ard 5o!$at& Tho!gh an accom)lished
)hotogra)her himself, To!rnier has confined largely to )ortraits and to n!des& +la2ar,
ou, la source et le buisson (1996 reco!nted the <o!rney of a family of 19th-cent!ry Irish
settlers to a new home in %alifornia and e1)lores the A!estion of /od(s ref!sal to allow
'oses to enter the *romised 2and& To!rnier(s ne1t wor" of fiction is said to $e a novel
on .aint .e$astian&
"or further readin!# *yytti 6a us7o *ichel (ournierin tuotannossa $y +nne Fried (199:; World Authors !"#$%&, ed&
Hineta %ol$y (19=6; *ichel (ournier $y 0& %loonan (19=6; *ichel (ournier$y .& Goster (19=6; *ichel
(ournier, ed& $y *&>& Gna$e (19=7; *ichel (ournier, Philoso-hy and Fiction $y %& 7avis (19==; *ichel (ournier $y
Francoise 'erlli, (19==; *ichel (ournier/ Le 'oman mythologique $y +rlette 5o!lo!mi, (19==; L48n$difference che2
*ichel (ournier $y 'ireille #osello (199;; *ichel (ournier4s *eta-hysical Fiction $y .!san *etit (1991; *ichel
(ournier $y 'artin #o$erts (199:; L4+vangile selon *ichel $y 2orna 'ilne (199:; *ichel (ournier, ed& 'ichael
0orton (1996; (ournier lmentaire $y 4onathan Grell (1996; *ichel (ournier/ Le Coq )e 1ruyere$y 0alter
#edfern (1996; *ichel (ournier $y 7avid /ascoigne (1996; *ichel (ournier4s Children$y %hristo)her +nderson
(199=; *yth and the Fiction of *ichel (ournier and Patric7 ,rainville $y #achel >dwards (1999; Postmodern
*ythology of *ichel (ournier $y 'elissa 5archi *ane" (E;1E
Selected biblio!raphy#
Hendredi, o! les 2im$es d! *acifiA!e, 1967 (/rand *ri1 d! #oman de l(+cademie Francaise
- Friday; or, The Other Island (translated $y Corman 7enny, 1969
- *er<antai eli Tyynen meren "iirast!li (s!om& >ila Gostamo, 19=;
- Film E;;6, )rod& +&+& 2es Films 5elge, +rtisan, %M% *artners, dir& Nvan 2e 'oine,starring *hili))e
Cahon, +lain 'oraOda, Ornella '!ti, -anna .chyg!lla
2e #oi des a!lnes, 197;
- The Ogre (translated $y 5ar$ara 5ray, 197E P The >rl-Ging (8&G& title,
translated $y 5ar$ara 5ray, 197E
- Gei<!<en "!ningas (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 19=I
- Film 1996, )rod& %analQ, France E %in,ma, -,ritage Films, screen)lay 4ean-%la!de %arriJre and Hol"er
.chl3ndorff, dir& Hol"er .chl3ndorff, starring 4ohn 'al"ovich, /ottfried 4ohn, 'arianne .Dge$recht, Hol"er
.)engler
Hendredi o! la Hie sa!vage, 1971
- Friday and #o$insonK 2ife on >s)eran@a Island (translated $y #al)h 'anheim,
197E
- #o$inson <a *er<antai (s!om& In"eri T!omi"os"i, 19=E
- TH film 19=1, )rod& +ntenne-E, %arthago Films .&a&r&l&, .oci,t, FranRaise de *rod!ction (.F*, dir& /,rard
Herge@, starring 'ichael Nor", /ene +nthony #ay, #oger 5lin, #o$ert #im$a!d
2e F,tichisteK !n acte )o!r !n homme se!l, 197: ()lay
- SThe FetishistT
- FetisistiK y"sinDyt3"sinen y"sinDisen miehen )!heenv!oro (s!om& +nni""i .!ni,
199I
2e nain ro!ge, 1976
- FilmK 2e nain ro!ge P The #ed 7warf, 199=, )rod& *rod!ction %oK+&+& 2es Films 5elge, %analQ, %lassic,
dir&Nvan 2e 'oine, starring 4ean-Nves Th!al, +nita >"$erg, 7yna /a!@y, 'ichel *eyrelon
2es ',t,ores, 1976 (*ri1 /onco!rt
- /emini (translated $y +nn %arter, 19=1
- 'eteorit (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 19=6
2e Hent *araclet, 1977
- The 0ind .)iritK +n +!to$iogra)hy (translated $y +rth!r /oldhammer, 19==
2a famille des enfants, 1977
%anadaK <o!rnal de voyage, 1977 ()hotogra)hs >do!ard 5o!$at
%ontes et no!velles 2e %oA de $r!yJre, 197=
- The Fetishist (translated $y 5ar$ara 0right, 19=I
- *!nainen "DD)i3 (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 19=1
- Film ada)tationsK 2e coA de 5r!yJre, TH film 19=;, dir& /a$riel +1el, starring *ierre 'ondy, FranRoise
%hristo)he, 7oroth,e 4emma, 4ean-'arie *roslier; T!)i", short film, 19=7, dir& %hantal #ichard; 'irage
dangere!1, TH film 19=7, $ased on 2(air d! m!g!et, dir& %harlotte 7!$re!il, starring 4ean %armet, Tom
Covem$re and .ylvie Orcier
7es clefs et des serr!res, 1979
*ierrot, o! les secrets de la n!it, 1979 (ill!strated $y 7aniJle 5o!r
- *ierrot <a y3n salais!!det (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 19=:
2a F!g!e d! *etit *o!cet, 1979
5ar$edor, 19=;
/as)ard, 'elchior et 5altha@ar, 19=;
- The Fo!r 0ise 'en (translated $y #al)h 'anheim, 19=E
- Golmen "!nin"aan "!marr!s (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 19=E
H!es de dos, 19=1 ()hotogra)hs $y >do!ard 5o!$at
2e Hol d! vam)ire, 19=1
2(+ire d! '!g!et, 19=E
5ar$edor, 19=E
FranRois 'itterand, 19=I (with Gonrad #& '9ller
2es #ois 'ages, 19=I
/illes et 4eanne, 19=I
- /illes M 4eanne (translated $y +lan .heridan, 199;
7es clefs et des serr!res, 199I
.e)t contes, 19=: (ill!strated $y *ierre -,@ard
2e vaga$ond immo$ile, 19=: (designs $y 4ean-'a1-Tom$ea!
4o!rnal de voyage a! %anada, 19=:
'arseille, o!, 2e )r,sent incertain, 19=6 ()hoto collection
*etites )roses, 19=6
2a /o!tte d(Or, 19=6
- The /olden 7ro)let (translated $y 5ar$ara 0right, 19=7
- G!lta)isara (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 19==
- TH film 199;, )rod& France I (F# I, dir& 'arcel 5l!wal, starring 2ilah 7adi, Farid %ho)el and 4ean-*ierre
5isson
2e Ta$or et le .inaO, 19==
- Taa$orinv!ori <a .iinainv!oriK esseitD ny"ytaiteesta (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 199;
2e ',dianoche amo!re!1, 19=9
- The 'idnight 2ove Feast (translated $y 5ar$ara 0right, 199E
- #a"astavaisten illallinenK sat!<a <a novelle<a (s!om& +nni""i .!ni, 199;
2e %r,)!sc!le des masA!es, 199E
0aterline, 199: ()hotogra)hs $y +rno #afael 'in""inen
2e *ied de la lettre, 199:
2e 'iroir des id,es, 199:
- The 'irror of Ideas (translated $y 4onathan Grell, 199=
2a %o!le!vrine, 199:
>l,a@ar, o! la .o!rce et le 5!isson, 1996
- >lea@ar, >1od!s to the 0est (translated $y 4onathan F& Grell, E;;E
The 'irror of Ideas, 199=
+2+I+, 199= (with +@@edine +laia, 4!an /atty
.e)t contes, 199=
%,l,$rationsK essais, 1999
4o!rnal e1time, E;;E
+llemagne, !n conte d(hiver de -enri -eine, E;;I
2es vertes lect!res de 'ichel To!rnier, E;;6
'ichel To!rnier, Hoyages et *aysages, E;1; ()hotogra)hs $y >do!ard 5o!$at,
ed& +rlette 5o!lo!mie