Duras, Marguerite

(Marguerite Donnadieu / April 4, 1914, Gia Dinh, French Cochin China [now Vietnam]-March 3, 1996, Paris, France)

   Born to French parents, both schoolteachers, she spent her childhood and adolescence in French Cochin China and Cambodia (with two years in France). She left Indochina to study law, mathematics, and political science at the Sorbonne in Paris. From 1938 to 1940, she earned her living as a secretary in France's Ministry of Colonies. During the occupation of France, she joined the French Resistance while her husband was a prisoner in Dachau (he came back alive in 1945). Her first novel, Les Impudents, was published by Plon in 1943. Thirty-three books would follow until 1995 (C'est tout, Editions P.O.L.). She used the pseudonym of Duras from the name of the village where her father had his house (he died when she was four years old). Many of her novels and plays were brought to the big and small screens (1958 The Angry Age / La diga sul Pacifico / The Sea Wall, René Clément, Italy / USA; 1961 ITV Television Play­house, episode "The Square", Stuart Burge, UK; 1965 Love Story, episode "La Musica", John Nelson-Burton, UK; 1966 10.30 P.M. Summer, also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, Jules Dassin, USA / Spain; 1967 Skver, Dragoslav Lazic, Yugoslavia; The Wednes­day Play, episode "Days in the Trees", Waris Hussein, John Schlesinger, UK; La Musica, also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, Paul Seban; The Sailor from Gibraltar, Tony Richardson, UK; 1968 Diese Frau zum Beispiel, TV, Heinz Von Cramer, West Germany; Ganze Tage in den Baumen, TV, Tom Toelle, West Germany; 1969 Lievevrouwbedstro / L'Amante anglaise, TV, Harry Kumel, Belgium; 1973 Saerlige spor, TV, Soren Melson, Den­mark; 1980 Hele dager I traerne, Odd-Geir Saether, Norway; 1982 En rachâchant, short, Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet; La Musica, TV, Peter Simons, Belgium; 1985 Das Mal des Todes, Peter Handke, Austria; 1988 La Bête dans la Jungle, TV, Benoît Jacquot; 1990 Le Coupeur d'Eau, Philippe Tabarly; 1992 L'Amant / The Lover, Jean-Jacques Annaud, France / UK / Vietnam; 1998 Miragens, short, André Delhaye, Portugal; 2001 H Story, Nobuhiro Suwa, Japan; 2003 La Maladie de la Mort / The Malady of Death, short, Asa Mader, France / USA; 2004 UAprès-Midi de Monsieur Andesmas, Mi­chelle Porte, France / Belgium; Vie matérielle, short, Franck Heslon; 2008 Marguerite ou La Vie tranquille, video short, Stéphanie Murat; 2009 Un Barrage contre le Pacifique, Rithy Panh, France / Belgium / Cambodia). By 1958, she had begun writing for films as an author of commentary (1959 Le Soleil de Pierre, documentary, short, Daniel Lecomte), screenwriter, dialogist (1959 Hiroshima mon Amour / 24-jikan no joji / UK and USA: Hiroshima, My Love, Alain Resnais, France / Japan; 1964 Nuit noire, Calcutta, short, Marin Karmitz; 1965 Les Rideaux blancs / Un Instant de Paix / Der Augenblick des Friedens / Die weissen Vorhange / Chwila pokoju / Ma-tura, segment "Les Rideaux blancs", Georges Franju, France / West Germany / Poland; 1966 Mademoiselle, Tony Richardson, France / UK; La Voleuse / Schorn-stein Nr. 4, Jean Chapot, France / West Germany), screenwriter, co-dialogist (1960 Moderato cantabile / Moderato cantabile: Storia di uno strano amore / UK: Seven Days . . . Seven Nights / USA: Moderato Cantabile, Peter Brook, France / Italy), co-screenwriter and co-dialogist (1961 Une aussi longue Absence / L'inverno ti farà tornare / USA: The Long Absence, Henri Colpi, France / Italy; 1964 Sans Merveille, TV, Michel Mitrani; 1974 Nouvelles de Henry James, episode "Ce que savait Morgan", Luc Béraud), dialogist only (1963 L'Itinéraire marin, Jean Rollin), adapter, and author of a French adaptation (1971 Les Papiers d'Aspern, TV movie, Raymond Rouleau). She appeared as herself in docu­mentaries (1981 Duras filme, medium-length, Jérôme Beaujour, Jean Mascolo; 1993 Ecrire, medium-length, Benoît Jacquot; La Mort du jeune Aviateur anglais / USA: The Death of the Young English Aviator, medium-length, Benoît Jacquot). Disappointed by some movies based on her works, she made her directing debut in 1966. Jeanne Moreau portrayed her in Cet Amour-là (Josée Dayan, 2001).

 Filmography

1967 ◘ La Musica (co-director with Paul Seban; also original play, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

1969 ◘ Détruire, dit-elle / UK and USA: Destroy, She

        ◘ Said (also original play, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

        ◘ Jaune le Soleil (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Nathalie Granger (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ La Femme du Gange / USA: Woman of the Gan­ges (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ India Song (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Son Nom de Venise dans Calcutta désert (also original play, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

        ◘ Baxter, Véra Baxter (also screenwriter, narrator)

        ◘ Des Journées entières dans les Arbres / UK: En­tire Days Among the Trees / USA: Entire Days in the Trees (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Le Camion / UK: The Lorry / USA: The Truck (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Les Mains negatives (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Césarée (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Le Navire Night (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Aurélia Steiner (four shorts: "Césarée", "Les Mains négatives", "Aurélia Steiner Melbourne", "Aurélia Steiner, Melbourne"; also screenwriter, dialogist)

1981 ◘ Agatha et les Lecteurs illimitées (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ L 'Homme Atlantique (short; also screenwriter, dialogist)

1982 ◘ Il dialogo di Roma (documentary; also screenwriter; Italy)

1985 ◘ Les Enfants (co-director with Jean Mascolo, Jean-Marc Turine; also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)