France鈥檚 oldest Acad茅mie Fran莽aise member dies aged 103
The poet, novelist and playwright Ren茅 de Obaldia had been part of the Acad茅mie for over 20 years
France鈥檚 oldest Acad茅mie Fran莽aise (pictured above) immortel Ren茅 de Obaldia has died at the age of 103
Kiev.Victor / Shutterstock
Ren茅 de Obaldia, a poet, novelist and playwright who was the oldest member of the Acad茅mie Fran莽aise, has died at the age of 103.
De Obaldia was born in Hong Kong in 1918 to a French mother and Panamanian father, and was the great-grandson of Jos茅 Domingo de Obald铆a, the second President of Panama.
He made his breakthrough as a writer in 1960, when his first major play G茅nousie debuted at the Th茅芒tre national populaire.
This was followed by Le Satyre de la Villette, for which De Obaldia was likened to literary greats including Eug猫ne Ionesco (The Bald Soprano) and Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot) for his humour, fantastical elements and unconventional style.
Over the next half century, his work would be translated into 28 languages, and he would become known as one of the most prominent French playwrights. He wrote dozens of plays, novels and poetry collections and was honoured with various distinctions, including being made a commander of the L茅gion d鈥檋onneur.
De Obaldia joined the Acad茅mie Fran莽aise in 1999, and in France he was sometimes known as the 鈥榠nventor of language鈥�
Then, at the age of 98, published his last book, Perles de vie (Pearls of life), a series of thoughts and quotations which included the phrase: 鈥淚 will soon leave myself鈥�.
In Perles de vie, De Obaldia also shared the proverb, 鈥淚f you want to reach 100, you should start young.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e always had a sense of ridiculousness, which helped me keep certain things at a distance,鈥� he said during an interview in 2008.
What is the Acad茅mie Fran莽aise?
The Acad茅mie Fran莽aise is a centuries-old institution charged with dealing with matters pertaining to the French language. First formed in 1635, it is now made up of 40 members, les immortels (鈥榯he immortals鈥�), who normally hold office for life.
The Acad茅mie periodically publishes an official dictionary of the French language, and makes rulings on spelling, vocabulary and grammar.
It was this institution which shared the news of Mr de Obaldia鈥檚 death.
Related articles
Acad茅mie Fran莽aise opposes new French identity card as it uses English
Franglais ou Frenglish? The history of French resistance to English
