Jean d'Ormesson.

Growing up at the castle of Saint-Fargeau in Yonne, owned by his mother Marie Anisson du Perron, Jean d’Ormesson absorbed the history of the estate once home to Anne-Marie-Louise d’Orléans. That setting later inspired his novel Au plaisir de Dieu. He was born in Paris on June 16, 1925 into an aristocratic family. He attended Lycée Henri-IV, Lycée Masséna, and Cours Hattemer before entering the École Normale Supérieure, a path that set the stage for his literary career.

Jean d’Ormesson began his career as a writer, publishing his first novel in 1956. His breakthrough came with the novel Au plaisir de Dieu 1974, which was adapted into a television series in 1977. He served as director of Le Figaro from February 1974 to July 1977, later becoming an editorialist. In 1973, the Académie française elected him to seat 12. As an actor, he appeared in several films, including the role of president of the Republic in Haute Cuisine 2012. He presided over the jury that reexamined the 1939 Cannes Film Festival selections in 2002.

Jean d’Ormesson married Françoise Béghin, who is the first cousin of filmmaker Louis Malle. They had one daughter, Héloïse d’Ormesson, who became a book publisher. He had one sibling, Henry d’Ormesson. He supported Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2012 presidential campaign. He died of a heart attack on December 5, 2017 in Neuilly, France.

Jean d’Ormesson’s forty years at the Académie française, his novel Au plaisir de Dieu, and his directorship of Le Figaro define his legacy. Posthumous tributes came from literary peers and public figures. He is remembered for his elegant prose and his role as a guardian of French language and tradition.