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Tristan Bernard (7 September 1866 – 7 December 1947) was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer.

Contents 1 Life 2 Drancy 3 Works 3.1 Plays 3.2 Narrative works

[edit] Life

Born Paul Bernard into a Jewish family in Besançon, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France, the son of an architect. He left Besançon at the age of 14 years, relocating with his father to Paris, where he studied at the Lycée Condorcet, which was noted for its numerous literary alumni.

He studied law, but after his military service, he started his career as the manager of an aluminium smelter. He also managed a velodrome. After his first publication in La Revue Blanche during 1891, he became increasingly a writer and adopted the pseudonym Tristan. His first play, Les Pieds Nickelés (Nickel-plated Feet), was a great success and was representative of the style of his later work (generally humorous). He became best known writing for vaudeville-type performances, which were very popular in France during that time. He also wrote several novels and some poetry.

Bernard is remembered mainly for witticisms, particularly from his play Les Jumeaux de Brighton (The Brighton Twins).

During 1932, he was a candidate for the Académie Française, but was not elected, receiving only 2 votes of a total of 39.

[edit] Drancy

He was interned during World War II at the Drancy deportation camp. When Gestapo agents were at his door he turned to his wife, who was crying, and said "Don´t cry, we were living in fear, but from now on we will live in hope".

Public protest of his imprisonment caused his release during 1943. He died in Paris four years later, allegedly of the results of his internment, and was buried in Passy cemetery. The Théâtre Tristan Bernard in Paris is named in his honor.

His sons have achieved some notoriety. His son, Raymond Bernard became an influential French filmmaker (using as scripts, a number of works authored by his father) while , Jean-Jacques Bernard, published a memoir of his father during 1955 titled Mon père Tristan Bernard (My Father, Tristan Bernard). Tristan Bernard's grandson Christian Bernard is the current Imperator of the Rosicrucian organization AMORC.

[edit] Works

[edit] Plays

• Les pieds nickelés (1895)
• L'anglais tel qu'on le parle (1899)
• Triplepatte (1905)
• Le petit café (1911)
• Les Jumeaux de Brighton

[edit] Narrative works

• Vous m'en direz tant (1894) collaboration with Pierre Veber
• Contes de Pantruche et d'ailleurs (1897)
• Sous toutes réserves (1898)
• Mémoires d'un jeune homme rangé (1899)
• Amants et voleurs (1905)
• L'affaire Larcier (1924)
• Robin des bois (1935)
• Un mari pacifique
• Aux abois