MONTERLAN Henri de (Montherlant Henry de)

(1896-1972)
Born April 21, 1896 in Paris, in an aristocratic Catholic family. In 1916 he went to the front. Military experience described in his novel Son (Le Songe, 1922). After the war Monterlan engaged in sports, which is reflected in his book Olympic page (Les Olympiques, 1924), and then carried away by the fight bulls in Spain, which is devoted to the novel Bestiary (Les Bestiaires, 1926).
In the prewar years Monterlan worked in two genres - the novel and essay. In the novels, in contrast to the lyrical expressiveness of the early things he aspired to a more realistic depiction of reality. These are his Bachelors (Les Clibataires, 1934), antifeminist tetralogy Girls (Les Jeunes filles, 1936-1939). He also issued three collections of essays - Valuable Service (Service inutile, . 1935), . The September equinox (L'Equinoxe de septembre, . 1938) and June solstice (Le Solstice de juin, . 1941); latest book has brought on Monterlana prosecution after the war, . because it could be seen the glorification of the Nazi ideal of the superman,
.

In the 1940's Monterlan turned to drama. It is through the plays, with their heroic Nietzschean sentiments Monterlan was best known. Among them - Dead Queen (La Reine morte, 1942), Malatesta (Malatesta, 1946), Port-Royal (Port-Royal, 1954).

Monterlan committed suicide in Paris on 21 September 1972.