1. Maurice Druon's father committed suicide in 1920 and his mother remarried in 1926; Maurice subsequently took the name of his adoptive father, the lawyer Rene Druon.
11 Facts About Maurice Druon
1. 2.
Maurice 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 originally by Anna Marly.
3.
Maurice Druon was a member of the Resistance and came to London in 1943 to participate in the BBC's "Honneur et Patrie" programme.
4.
Maurice Druon began writing for literary journals at the age of 18.
5.
Maurice Druon left the same year to join the forces of Charles de Gaulle.
6.
Maurice Druon became aide de camp to General Francois d'Astier de La Vigerie.
7.
In 1948 Maurice Druon received the Prix Goncourt for his novel Les Grandes Familles, and later published two sequels.
8.
Maurice Druon was elected to the 30th seat of the Academie francaise on 8 December 1966, succeeding Georges Duhamel.
9.
Maurice Druon was elected as "Perpetual Secretary" in 1985, but chose to resign the office in late 1999 due to old age; he successfully pushed for Helene Carrere d'Encausse to succeed him, the first woman to hold the post, and was styled Honorary Perpetual Secretary after 2000.
10.
Maurice Druon was Minister of Cultural Affairs in Pierre Messmer's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris.
11.
Maurice Druon was survived by his second wife, Madeleine Marignac, whom he married in 1968.