In Remembrance of: Christopher P. Pinet (1944–2011)

435 In Remembrance of: Christopher P. Pinet (1944–2011) Chris Pinet, former Editor in Chief of the French Review, passed away on 17 November 2011. Chris was raised in Lawrence, Kansas, and earned his B.A. at the University of Kansas (appropriately enough, he always remained a Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan) before going on to Brown University for his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. It was at Brown that he met his future wife, Carolyn, who had come from Great Britain on a Fulbright. Their dual teaching careers would take them on to Indiana State University, Marquette University, and, for nearly thirty years, to Montana State University, Bozeman. An avid outdoorsman, Chris enjoyed fly-fishing, cross-country skiing, and hiking in the mountains. His E-mails often included descriptions, verging on lyricism, of a mountainous paysage that he particularly enjoyed. He clearly loved both his teaching position at MSU and living in Montana. This did not rule out frequent travels, including a sabbatical in France with his wife and two children, during which he conducted a sociocultural study of a commune de la banlieue parisienne, Villejuif. A very active scholar throughout his career, Chris was an outstanding literary and cultural critic. His publications ran the gamut, from French Farce during the Renaissance to the myths and stereotypes of “Frenchness” in Astérix. If there was a person who could convey a sense of intellectual and aesthetic excitement—about a novel, a film, a piece of music, etc.—it was Chris. As (what I would call) an enlightened epicurean, he was always eager to discover something new to enjoy and to study. This sort of energy and wide-ranging intellectual curiosity, combined with rigorous attention to detail, also made him an exceptional editor, someone who could always be counted on to improve a text. During his last few weeks, even as Chris was battling against a rare form of brain cancer, he remained characteristically upbeat. He had planned for an active retirement, which included several research projects. In particular, he was completing a several-hundred-page manuscript on Villejuif, and also pursuing an abiding interest in the Maghrebian presence in France. He would go to the Le Monde Web site every morning—after first checking the Jayhawks, of course. Several colleagues (whom I would like to thank) have sent me testimonials about Chris. In fact, there are so many that it is impossible to quote them all, an indication of how many lives he touched over the years, and of how much he will be missed. There are some recurring statements in these varied testimonials, which I will briefly summarize here. Chris understood that being a good literary and cultural critic entails taking the object of one’s study very seriously—without taking oneself too seriously. In his conversations and messages, Chris exhibited the intellectual depth and breadth that resulted from a lifetime of scholarly pursuits. He also showed flashes of the sort of self-deprecating humor that people who have attained a high level of accomplishment sometimes indulge in. His was the voice of a confident and open scholar, who encouraged and enjoyed spirited discussions. In his multifaceted activities as Editor, Chris was at once friendly, generous, and demanding. He had an uncanny ability to combine his constant pursuit of high professional standards with a deep sympathy for individuals, their needs, and their foibles. His unique blend of dynamism and charisma, of intellect and enjoyment, was an encouragement to students and colleagues alike. Chris lived a full and productive life, a life of teaching and service to others, of critical thinking and scholarly research, of good food and wine, of love and friendship. Unlike many intelligent people, he had very little vanity, which made him very sincere and empathetic in his dealings with colleagues. In all his professional endeavors, he was determined to “do it right,” and that is exactly what he usually managed to do. Chris Pinet holds a special place in the long history of the French Review. He served as Review Editor, Assistant Editor, Managing Editor, and most notably as Editor in Chief. During his twelve years in this last position, he made several innovations, such...