André de Richaud

Who was André de Richaud?

André de Richaud was a French poet and writer. After his father was killed in the First World War in 1915, his mother became a lover of a German prisoner of war, which caused him a trauma that made him later sell their house and move away. At the age of twenty he wrote an autobiographical novel Pain which greatly influenced Albert Camus. He was awarded the 1954 Prix Guillaume Apollinaire.

His works include novels, poetry, plays and essays. Despite being successful, he could never come to terms with the world, and became addicted to alcohol and drugs. He died in a hospital, self-destructed, paralyzed and penniless, but in his words "thankfully surrounded by friends - children and dogs."