Louis - Ferdinand Céline

A leading novelist of the 20th century, Céline (born Louis-Ferdinand-Auguste Destouches) was born in 1894 in Paris. In 1912, he voluntarily enlisted in the infantry, where he was caught up in World War I. In September 1914, he was wounded, decorated, and discharged. He worked in Cameroon and, upon returning, studied medicine in Rennes. He participated in health missions for the League of Nations in America, Africa, and Europe before settling as a doctor in Paris. In 1932, he published the masterpiece "Journey to the End of the Night," which caused a scandal and achieved unparalleled success. Nine more novels ("Death on Credit," "Guignol's Band," "Castle to Castle," "North," among others) cemented his ingenious innovation. His anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi stance forced him to flee to Germany in 1944 and subsequently to Copenhagen, where he was imprisoned for a time and remained for six years, awaiting trial in France for high treason. In 1951, he was granted amnesty and retired to the Parisian suburb of Meudon, continuing to write until his death in 1961.