Jean Cau

Jean Cau (8 July 1925, in Bram, Aude – 18 June 1993) was a French writer and journalist.

Born in Bram, Aude, he was secretary to Jean-Paul Sartre, after which he was a journalist and reporter for L'Express, Figaro, and Paris Match. In 1961, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt for his novel The Mercy of God. Cau also wrote several works about bullfighting and Spain.

In addition to novels and journalism, he wrote two plays as well as co-writing the screenplay for the successful 1970 French gangster film Borsalino starring Alain Delon. He collaborated on the screenplays or television scripts for several other productions.

From the 1970s onwards, he grew close to GRECE and his writings became infused with a sun-worshipping neopaganism. Jacques Marlaud dedicated an entire chapter to Cau in his study on contemporary literary and philosophical paganism.

The biography Jean Cau, l'indocile by Ludovic Marino and Louis Michaud was published in 2024.

Works

Le Fort intérieur, Gallimard, 1948 Maria-nègre, Gallimard, 1948 Le coup de barre, Gallimard, 1950 Le tour d'un monde, Gallimard, 1952 Les Paroissiens, Gallimard, 1958 Mon village, Gallimard, 1958 Vie et mort d'un toro brave, Gallimard, 1961 The Mercy of God (La pitié de Dieu), Gallimard, 1961 , (Prix Goncourt) Les Parachutistes - Le maître du monde, Gallimard, 1963 Le Meurtre d'un enfant, Gallimard, 1965 Lettre ouverte aux têtes de chiens occidentaux, Albin Michel, 1967 "Un testament de Staline", Grasset, 1967 "Les yeux crevés", Gallimard, 1968 (pièce de théâtre) Le pape est mort, La Table Ronde, 1968 Le spectre de l'amour, Gallimard, 1968 L'agonie de la vieille, La Table Ronde, 1969 Tropicanas, de la dictature et de la revolution sous les tropiques, Gallimard, 1970 Les Entrailles du taureau, Gallimard, 1971 Le temps des esclaves, La Table Ronde, 1971 Les entrailles du taureau, Gallimard, 1971 Ma misogynie, Julliard, 1972 Les écuries de l'occident - traité de morale, La Table Ronde, 1973 La grande prostituée - traité de morale II, La Table Ronde, 1974 Les Enfants, Gallimard, 1975 Pourquoi la France, La Table Ronde, 1975 Lettre ouverte à tout le monde, Albin Michel, 1976 Otages, Gallimard, 1976 Une nuit à Saint-Germain des Près, Julliard, 1977 Discours de la décadence, Copernic, 1978 Une Passion Pour Che Guevara, Julliard, 1979 Nouvelles du paradis, Gallimard, 1980 La Conquête de Zanzibar, Gallimard, 1980 Le grand soleil, Julliard, 1981 La barbe et la rose, La Table Ronde, 1982 Une rose à la mer, La Table Ronde, 1983 Proust, le chat et moi, La Table Ronde, 1984 Croquis de mémoire, Julliard, 1985 , , Mon lieutenant, Julliard, 1985 Sévillanes, Julliard, 1987 Les culottes courtes, Le Pré-aux-Clercs, 1988 , La grande maison, Le Pré-aux-Clercs, 1988 Le choc de 1940, Fixot, 1990 Les oreilles et la queue, Gallimard, 1990 Le roman de Carmen, Editions de Fallois, 1990 La rumeur de Mazamet, Le Pré aux Clers, 1991 L'ivresse des intellectuels : Pastis, Whisky et Marxisme, Plon, 1992 L'innocent, Flammarion, 1992 Nimeno II, torero de France, Marval, 1992 La folie corrida, Gallimard, 1992 Au fil du lait, Educagri, 1993 Contre-attaques : éloge incongrue du lourd, Labyrinthe, 1993 L'orgueil des mots, Filipacchi, 1995 (posthumous) Fernando Botero, la corrida, La Bibliothèque des Arts, 2001 (posthumous) Monsieur de Quichotte, Le Rocher, 2005 (posthumous or re-edited ?)