Perhaps the name Rue Henri Bordeaux does not immediately ring a bell. Let me tell you about the man behind the street name.
Rue Henri Bordeaux is named after Henry Bordeaux. He was not a politician or a military leader. He was a French writer and lawyer born in 1870.
Henry Bordeaux hailed from a family steeped in law in the Savoy region. His father served on the Chambéry bar and his grandfather was a magistrate. This family background greatly influenced his life and work.
Bordeaux’s early life involved moving between Savoy and Paris. This back and forth created a tension between provincial and city life. This tension became a recurring theme in his writings.
Professionally Bordeaux closely observed family disputes. He analyzed the causes and effects of these conflicts. This analysis shaped his literary themes.
At seventeen Bordeaux spent three years in Paris studying law. After publishing his first book in 1894 he returned to Paris. The death of his father in 1896 brought him back to Savoy.
His writings often reflected traditional Catholic values from provincial communities. Loyalty is a pervasive theme encompassing family country and God. His novels “La Peur de vivre” and “Les Roquevillard” exemplify this theme.
Henry Bordeaux gained election to the Académie française in 1919. This elite group of writers is known as the “immortals”. They maintain the standards of the French language.
He contributed to “Le Visage de l’Italie” a 1929 book with a preface by Benito Mussolini. Bordeaux died in Paris in 1963 at the age of 93.
Henry Miller even mentions Bordeaux in “Tropic of Cancer.” This reference speaks to Bordeaux’s widespread recognition.
Now as you walk along Rue Henri Bordeaux consider the legacy of Henry Bordeaux. He was a writer who explored loyalty family and the tensions between tradition and modernity. His work continues to offer insights into French society and the human condition.