Marcel Aymé

Marcel Aymé (1902 - 1967) was a French writer. Born in the small town of Joigny, he spent his childhood in the country, then came to Paris in 1925. After his arrival, he had several jobs, including one as a journalist. After the success of his novel, The Green Mare (La jument verte), a dark satire about  sexuality published  in 1933, he  dedicated himself entirely to literature. As a portrayal of manners, tasteful and often satiric, Marcel Aymé's work is often described as a disillusioned look at a mediocre world. This soft pessimism can be seen in Travelingue (1941), and above all in Uranus (1948) and The Wine of Paris (1947), which are ironical depictions of the period of German occupation and Liberation. To fight against a boring modern world, Marcel Aymé uses fantasy : picturesque and funny characters (The Clandestine Beef, Le boeuf clandestin, 1939), or familiar relationships between realism and imagination (The Sorceress, La Vouivre, 1943). His love of popular language, whether from Paris or from the country, and his ability as a storyteller, make him one of the most original writers of his time. A fantastic realism prevails in The Man who Walked Through Walls (Le Passe-Muraille, 1943) and the Wonderful farm (Les contes du chat perché, 1934). Marcel Aymé was also active in the theatre and in movies as a playwright.