André Maurois
A French literary charmer who used witty, accessible biographies to make the great figures of England and America fascinating to a continental audience.
1885–1967 (age 82)·French author·Birthday: July 26·The Lost Generation
Biography
Born Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog, André Maurois adopted his pen name after serving as a liaison officer to the British army during the First World War. That experience shaped his lifelong fascination with the Anglo-Saxon world, which he would interpret for French readers with unparalleled clarity and sympathy. He first found fame with 'Les Silences du Colonel Bramble,' a gently humorous novel based on his wartime observations. Maurois possessed a unique talent for biography, treating his subjects—from Shelley and Byron to Disraeli and Franklin—not as distant monuments but as vividly drawn characters. His narratives were erudite yet immensely readable, breaking down national stereotypes and building cultural bridges. As a member of the Académie française, he championed a humanist vision of literature, one that sought to enlighten and connect rather than obscure.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
André was born in 1885, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When André Was Born
The biggest hits of 1885
André's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1885Born
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Started school
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1898Became a teenager
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1901Could drive
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1903Could vote
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Turned 21
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1915Turned 30
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 40
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 50
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 60
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 70
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 80
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Died at 82
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
Key Achievements
- Elected to the prestigious Académie française in 1938, a high honor in French letters.
- Authored acclaimed biographies of major figures like Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and Benjamin Disraeli.
- His early novel 'Les Silences du Colonel Bramble' was a major success, drawing from his World War I experiences.
Did You Know?
His pseudonym 'Maurois' was taken from the name of a village in France where he was stationed during WWI.
He was a close friend of the novelist Marcel Proust.
During World War II, he served as the French spokesman for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
““The universe is indifferent. Who created it? Why are we here on this puny mudheap? . . . We do not know. But we can try to be happy.””
