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Photo of René Barjavel

René Barjavel

Writer, Actor, Additional Credits
Born January 24, 1911Died November 24, 1985 (74 years)
René Barjavel (24 January 1911 – 24 November 1985) was a French author, journalist and critic who may have been the first to think of the grandfather paradox in time travel. He was born in Nyons, a town in the Drôme department in southeastern France. He is best known as a science fiction author, whose work often involved the fall of civilisation due to technocratic hubris and the madness of war, but who also favoured themes emphasising the durability of love.

René Barjavel wrote several novels with these themes, such as Ravage (translated as Ashes, ashes), Le Grand Secret, La Nuit des temps (translated as The Ice People), and Une rose au paradis. His writing is poetic, dreamy and sometimes philosophical. Some of his works have their roots in an empirical and poetic questioning of the existence of God (notably La Faim du tigre). He was also interested in the environmental heritage which we leave to future generations. Whilst his works are rarely taught in French schools, his books are very popular in France.

Barjavel wrote Le Voyageur imprudent (1943), the first novel to present the famous Grandfather paradox of time travel: if one goes backwards in time and kills one of their ancestors before he had children, the traveller cannot exist and therefore cannot kill the ancestor.

Barjavel died in 1985 and was buried with his ancestors in Tarendol (commune) cemetery, opposite Mount Ventoux in Provence. He used these place names in his books; Mount Ventoux appears as the site of the space base in Colomb de la lune, for example, and Tarendol is the name of the hero in the eponymous novel.

Source: Article "René Barjavel" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Movies & Shows on Plex
  • The Great Adventure
Known For
  • The Little World of Don Camillo
  • The Return of Don Camillo
  • The Sheep Has Five Legs
  • Les Misérables
  • Highway Pick-Up
  • An Angel on Wheels
  • The Great Adventure
  • The Case of Dr. Laurent
  • The Man in the Raincoat
  • Boulevard
  • Strange Desire of Mr. Bard
  • Bold Adventure
  • The Pleasure Pit
  • Toto in Paris
  • Goubbiah... mon amour
  • Come imparai ad amare le donne
  • Gorilla Safari
  • Women Without Names
  • Le voyageur imprudent
  • The High Life

Filmography

1982
1969
The Pleasure Pit · as Novel
1960
1960
1959
An Angel on Wheels · as Screenplay
1958
Toto in Paris · as Screenplay
1958
1957
The Case of Dr. Laurent · as Screenplay
1956
1956
1954
1953
The Return of Don Camillo · as Screenplay
1952
1950
Women Without Names · as Screenplay

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