List of Norman-language writers

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A shelf laden with Norman language literature

Here is a list of significant writers in Norman (and published works) of more recent times (for Channel Island authors, see Jèrriais literature and Dgèrnésiais). Literature in Norman ranges from early Anglo-Norman literature through the 19th century Norman literary renaissance to modern writers.

Alfred Rossel (1841–1926, from Cherbourg)

Author of songs, including the Cotentin anthem Sus la mé

Bon-Prosper Lepesqueur (6 August 1846 – 31 January 1921, from Digulleville)

Wrote under the pseudonyms of Boûnnin Poulidot and P. Lecacheux. His prose stories appeared regularly in Le Phare de la Manche 1899–1905, and he was also the author of a number of songs published in sheet form in Cherbourg signed P. Lecacheux.

Charles Lemaître (1854–1928, from Saint-Georges-d'Aunay)

Author and performer of monologues, published in sheet form and later collected in volumes Les Joyeux Bocains (1917), Hélas qu'c'est drôle (1924), Eiou qui va lés trachi (1912), Bonnes gens de Normandie

Octave Maillot (1861–1949, from Tinchebray)

One of the less-numerous authors writing in southern Norman (below the ligne Joret), two volumes of his prose stories in Norman were published under the title Contes normands in 1937 and 1948.

Arnould-Désiré Galopin (9 February 1863 – 9 December 1934, from Marbeuf)

Best known as a prolific author in French of popular fiction: adventure stories, historical novels, travel writing and detective fiction, Galopin also wrote the article Le Patois normand published in Le livre du Millénaire de la Normandie, 911–1911 (Paris 1911) and is known to be responsible for the authorship of a small number of poems in the La Hague dialect of Norman.

fr (1869–1949, from Quettreville-sur-Sienne)

Poet, follower of Rossel and friend of Frédéric Mistral, co-founder of Le Bouais-Jan with Enault, manager of Le Courrier de la Manche, collection published in 1950 Œuvres choisies by Fernand Lechanteur

François Enault (1869–1918, from the Cotentin)

Born in Varenguebec 28 May 1869, the eldest of twelve children. Went to Paris in 1887 to study for a legal career, but followed his inclination for the visual arts. He became a cartoonist under the pseudonym Mob for a number of publications. In 1900 he drew and wrote for La France Illustrée and, using the pseudonym Jean Frinot, contributed texts in Norman for the Journal de la Manche published in St-Lô. Founder of Le Bouais-Jan with Louis Beuve. He became chief editor of La France Illustrée in 1911. His health suffered during the First World War and he died as a result 24 November 1918. A collection of his stories Les propos de Jean Frinot was published in 1930. His stories about the characters Pierre and Catheraine Loustalot continue to be republished nowadays, notably by the Almanach de la Manche.

Henri Ermice (1870–1958)

Born 17 September 1870 in Saint-Germain-sur-Ay. After working as a teacher in Vire, he became a bookseller and publisher of postcards on which he printed Gallicised versions of verses in Norman — Monologues humoristiques en patois normand of which more purely Norman forms also exist, but the more French-influenced texts were considered to have wider commercial appeal. Some more purely Norman pieces were published in a collection Choix de poésies normandes et de monologues en patois de notre pays in 1956.

Joseph Mague (1875–1940, born in Brittany of Norman parents but raised in the Bessin)

Active in literary societies, published Les Chansons du Bessin in 1912 in postcard form for commercial sale.

Louis Gouget (1877–1915)

Collection Au Val d'Orne (1922)

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Maurice Le Sieutre

Maurice Le Sieutre (1879–?, from Le Havre)

Poet and sculptor, who also set his own words to music; songs and poems published in Vie normande, Bulletin des parlers normands, Bulletin des parlers populaires.

Charles Birette (1878–1941)

Born in Montfarville in the Val de Saire, he published a collection of stories in Norman A l'Entoue de la Cremillie and a number of historical studies. He is best known for his Dialecte et Légendes du Val de Saire. He died in Dinan 18 June 1941.

Charles Le Boulanger (1880–1929)

Born in Cerisy-la-Salle 20 January 1880, published two collections of poetry in 1908 and 1920 both entitled Ciz nous. He also performed his poems and monologues in public at local fairs around the Cotentin. A friend of Louis Beuve. He died in Touques 29 June 1929.

Alfred Noël (1883–1918, from Valognes)

A writer and performer of songs.

Gaston Lerévérend (1885–1962, from Calvados)

Collections of poetry include L'hus entrebâyei (1919), Mei-j'vo-l'dis, and L'hus bâyi (1955)

Gaston Demongé (1888–1973, from the Pays de Caux)

Wrote under the pseudonym Mait' Arsène, published a collection of poetry and prose Les Terreux in 1925 prefaced by a brief overview of Norman literature. A collection of histoires cauchoises titled Aux Gars de Normandie appeared in 1917.

Charles Lepeley (1889–1970, from Barfleur)

A parish priest in the Val de Saire, between 1928 and 1938, the Abbé Charles Lepeley wrote about a hundred humorous tales, often with a moral point behind them, for the parish magazine L'Hirondelle.

Pierre Gueroult (1890–1962)

Born in Pont-l'Abbé at Picauville 11 June 1890, worked as a teacher, and served as deputy mayor of Cherbourg. Published his first pamphlet En Tisounants around 1920. Author of poems, monologues, dramatic works and prose works. Published works include: Vûles gens, vûs métyis (1948), collections Théâtre normand (1972), Poésies et chansons (1974), Contes et récits (1978 and 1980). His dramatic verse monologue La pouore vuule folle du Bouon-Sâoveu is considered a classic of modern Norman literature; it tells of a woman driven to madness waiting years for her soldier son to return from the war in which he died.

Gabriel Benoist

Cauchois author of Thanase Pequeu stories of which three volumes were published in the 1930s

Jean-Baptiste Pasturel (1895–1962, from Périers)

Collection Histouères de tchu nous (1968)

Jean Tolvast (Auguste Toullec 1898–1945, from Cherbourg)

Wrote regular columns in newspapers Le Réveil and Le Journal de Valognes. Collections of his stories were published as Chroniques normandes (1934 and 1941)

Marceau Rieul (Marcel Sorieul 1900–1977, from Bolbec)

Author of Arseine Toupétit

Jehan Le Povremoyne (Ernest Coquin 1903–1970, from Le Havre)

A Cauchois author who wrote mostly in French, but frequently employed dialogue in Norman to a greater or lesser extent in his writings.

Alfred Mouchel (1905–1989, from the Val de Saire)

Described a "peasant-poet", he contributed poems and short stories for almost 40 years to the newspaper La Presse de la Manche, as well as compiling a Norman glossary (1944).

Gires Ganne (Fernand Lechanteur 1910–1971)

Author of La Normandie traditionnelle, a collection of articles on language and traditions, his poetry (Es Set vents du Cotentin, 1972) only became widely known after his death. He worked to unify the orthography of the Norman language, proposing reforms. In 1968, he founded an association Parlers et Traditions Populaires de Normandie. A Viking-boat-shaped stone monument to his memory was erected after his death near the seashore of his native Agon.

Christian Lambert (1912–2000, from Livarot)

Wrote regular pieces in Norman for the Lisieux newspaper L'Éveil de Lisieux under the title of Radotages de Maît' Jules (collected for publication 1984)

Côtis-Capel (Albert Lohier 1915–1986, from Cherbourg)

Priest and fisherman, highly influential poet in La Hague, Rocâles (1951), A Gravage (1965), Raz Bannes (1971), Graund Câté (1980), Les Côtis (1985), Ganache (1987); winner of the Prix littéraire du Cotentin in 1964

Aundré-Joseph Desnouettes (André Dupont 1920–200?, from Equeurdreville)

Winner of the Prix littéraire du Cotentin in 1970. As a historian, published a history in French of the département of Manche. His literary career in Norman started in 1952 with the publication of a collection of comic poems En Ritounaunt. A cycle of a hundred sonnets were published as Sonnets cotentinais en parler populaire du pays in 1958 and 1961 in Études normandes. In 1968, he published L'Épopée cotentine, an epic poem of 4628 lines inspired by the models of Wace and other Anglo-Norman poets. His poetry frequently evokes Norman history, but also treats daily life.

Hippolyte Gancel (born 1920)

Flleurs et plleurs dé men villâche (1982 and 1986), winner of the Prix littéraire du Cotentin in 1984

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Lucien Malot

Lucien Malot (1921 - 2012 )

Born in Bolbec. Taking up literature on his retirement, he produced texts in Cauchois for the newspaper Le Courrier Cauchois. A collection of stories Eul taiseu de Boulbé was published in 2008.

André Louis (1922–1999 from Octeville)

Born 6 February 1922, he was a teacher by profession, wounded in the French Resistance during the Second World War, became president of the Société Alfred Rossel, and president of the Fédération de l'Ouest des Groupes Folkloriques de France. Worked with Fernand Lechanteur on the reform of Norman orthography and became a founder member and secretary of Parlers et Traditions Populaires de Normandie which developed into the magazine Le Viquet. He wrote a novel Zabeth (1969), untypically for Norman literature, a rural love story rather than a light-hearted satire. He was awarded the Prix littéraire du Cotentin in 1971. He died 27 December 1999.

Marcel Dalarun (born 1922)

Poet from the Cotentin has produced poems for children and to be set to music, collection A men leisi (2004) and other, published by the group Magène

René Saint-Clair (born 1923)

Poet from the Cotentin

Guy Pichon (born 1943)

Writer from the Cotentin. A collection of texts Dauns ma leunette à mireus was published in 2012

Maurice Fichet

Author from the Cotentin. A novel Bouone et Bouonotte was published in 2012.

References

• La Normandie dialectale, 1999, ISBN 2-84133-076-1
• Alain Marie, Les auteurs patoisants du Calvados, 2005. ISBN 2-84706-178-9.
• Roger Jean Lebarbenchon, Les Falaises de la Hague, 1991. ISBN 2-9505884-0-9.
• Jean-Louis Vaneille, Les patoisants bas-normands, n.d., Saint-Lô.
• André Dupont, Dictionnaire des patoisants du Cotentin, Société d'archéologie de la Manche, Saint-Lô, 1992.