Benjamin Crémieux (1888–1944) was a French author, critic and literary historian.
| Honorific Prefix: | Dr |
| Benjamin Crémieux | |
| Birth Date: | 1 December 1888 |
| Birth Place: | Narbonne, France |
| Death Date: | 14 April 1944 |
| Death Place: | Buchenwald concentration camp, Germany |
| Education: | Sorbonne, PhD, 1928 |
| Occupation: | Writer, critic and historian |
Crémieux was born to a Jewish family in Narbonne, France in 1888.[1] His family had long ties in the region, having 'settled in France as early as the 14th century'.[2] :452
He fought in World War I during his obligatory military service in the French Army and was severely wounded during battle.:452 After the war he focused on studying Italian literature and history.:452
Crémieux contributed to a variety of literary magazines and journals, including La Gazette du Franc,[3] :270 and the influential literary journal Nouvelle Revue Française (NRF). He started writing for the NRF in 1920 and Jean Paulhan invited him to be a member of the journal's editorial committee as early as 1926.[4] [5] [6] :22
In 1928 he defended his doctoral thesis Essai Sur l'évolution littéraire de l'Italie de 1870 á nos jours at the Sorbonne, which was published later that year.[7] :41 He published one of his most important texts in 1931, Inquiétude et Reconstruction, which provided a survey of French literature since the turn of the century.[8] :139
He also served in a variety of service roles. He was 'chief of the Italian bureau of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs':41 and the permanent secretary of the French section of the PEN Club.:139
In 1940, Crémieux joined the French underground and became a leader of the Maquis.
In April 1943, two Gestapo agents detained Crémieux in Marseilles.:458 He was arrested, imprisoned, and deported to Nazi Germany, where, in April 1944 he was executed in the Buchenwald concentration camp.:458.
Crémieux introduced a number of important literary figures to the French public through his translations, including Luigi Pirandello and Italo Svevo;:138 he was also an early champion of the works of Marcel Proust.