Pierre Gamarra

French writer (1919-2009)

Pierre Gamarra (Toulouse, July 10, 1919 – Argenteuil, May 20, 2009) was a French writer. He was a poet and novelist. He is famous for his poems and novels for the children. Pierre Gamarra also worked for a literary magazine, Europe.

Pierre Gamarra
Born(1919-07-10)July 10, 1919
Toulouse, France
DiedMay 20, 2009(2009-05-20) (aged 89)
Argenteuil, France
OccupationNovelist, poet, critic
GenreFable, poetry, novel
Notable worksMon cartable

Life change

Gamarra was born in Toulouse in 1919. From 1938 to 1940, he was a teacher in the south of France. He became a journalist in 1944.

In 1948, he received an international prize for his novel The Fiery House.

In 1951, he began working for the literary magazine Europe.

Gamarra died in 2009 in Argenteuil, near Paris, at age 89.

Books change

Most of Gamarra's novels are set in the southwest of France. That is the region where he was born.

Gamarra's books are not yet translated into English. His poems are well known by French schoolchildren. Examples are My Schoolbag (French: Mon cartable) or The Cosmonaut and his host (French: Le Cosmonaute et son hôte).

Sources change

  • Interview with Pierre Gamarra: Tohoku University Faculty of Letters Bulletin, 27 (Year 2006), Sendai, Japan
  • Encyclopedia Britannica: "Children's literature"
  • Encyclopedia Universalis: "Pierre Gamarra"