13 Facts About Roparz Hemon

Louis-Paul Nemo, better known by the pseudonym Roparz Hemon, was a Breton author and scholar of Breton expression.

Roparz Hemon was the author of numerous dictionaries, grammars, poems and short stories.

Roparz Hemon founded Gwalarn, a literary journal in Breton where many young authors published their first writings during the 1920s and 1930s.

Surprisingly, Roparz Hemon, who was born as Louis Nemo in Brest, was not a native speaker of the Breton language.

Roparz Hemon's father, Eugene Nemo, was born illegitimately, but was discreetly provided for by his biological father, and went on to become both a mechanical engineer and an officer in the French Navy.

Roparz Hemon's mother, Julie Foricher, was a girls' school teacher.

Roparz Hemon served in the French Army at the beginning of the Second World War, where he was wounded and taken prisoner by the Germans.

In October 1942, Roparz Hemon was appointed by Leo Weisgerber to help found the "Celtic Institute of Brittany".

Roparz Hemon rendered other services to the Germans, like helping in compiling files against prefet Ripert.

At the Liberation, Roparz Hemon fled to Nazi Germany, where he was imprisoned.

Roparz Hemon decided therefore to go in exile to Ireland.

Roparz Hemon worked there for the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Roparz Hemon created the magazine Ar Bed Keltiek that resembled Kannadig Gwalarn or Arvor.