Jean Giraudoux (review)

Jacques Body's biography of Jean Giraudoux is a master work of scholarly research that will undoubtedly become the definitive biography of the writer and dramatist. Professor Body is already well known for his numerous publications on Giraudoux, including Giraudoux et l'Allemagne (1975; see FS, xxxi (1977), 487–8) and Jean Giraudoux: la légende et le secret (1986; see FS, xlvi (1992), 353). At some 900 pages, his new book is not for the faint-hearted. However, for those with the stamina, the read is worth the effort for the fascinating and comprehensive portrait that emerges. Examining Giraudoux's life from his earliest years until his death, the biography also includes portraits of Giraudoux's parents, family and friends as well as evoking the social, cultural and political context of the time. Drawing on archival research and personal interviews, Body also utilizes Giraudoux's works, with their recognized autobiographical aspect, to illuminate certain episodes. The result is a far more in-depth portrait of the author than has previously been available. Excelling academically at school, Giraudoux hesitated when faced with the career predictability that would have followed success in the agrégation (which he never passed), thereby manifesting the desire to remain a free agent that was to characterize the rest of his life. This independence of spirit, combined with great personal charm, enabled him to juggle two careers, a variety of publishers — during the winter of 1925–26, he was completing four novels for three different publishers (p. 473) — a love of travel, a wife and a series of mistresses. Most notably, Giraudoux retained a considerable degree of detachment from his career in the diplomatic service and, quoting from the Comte de Saint-Aulaire, Body observes that: '"Au ministère des Affaires étrangères, l'idéal consiste pour le ministre à ne pas avoir d'affaires et, pour ses subordonnés, à aller le moins possible à l'étranger." Certains agents, "dont l'avancement est d'autant plus rapide qu'ils ne se déplacent pas", se bâtissent ainsi une "carrière intérieure". Giraudoux est bien engagé dans cette sorte de carrière' (p. 451). This desire for independence did not, however, imply detachment from the great social and political issues facing France, and Body reiterates Giraudoux's commitment to a variety of causes including the environment, town planning, the future of France and women's role in French society. Given the range of published material on Giraudoux's attitude towards women's role in society, it is somewhat surprising to see Giraudoux still classed as a 'féministe d'avant-garde' (p. 608) in this latest work without any detailed recognition of the problematic and multifaceted nature of this term during the period in question. This, however, is a minor quibble in an otherwise impressive volume.