'A book that writes itself'

 

“Our life is a book that writes itself and whose principal themes sometimes escape us. We are like characters in a novel who do not always understand what the author wants of them.” – Julien Green

 

Green was born on Sept. 6, 1900 to American parents living in France.  After spending time in America in his late teens, he returned to France and in 1922 – after a false start as a painter – began a nearly 80-year career - mostly living in France - as a writer.

 

By 1927 he had established himself in the world of French literature and probably would have remained there for the rest of his long life (he died in 1998) except for the outbreak of World War II.  Returning to the U.S., he joined the United States Office of War Information, becoming the “French” voice for Voice of America, crucial in keeping up the French Resistance and ultimately leading to Germany’s defeat. 

 

While he wrote numerous essays on faith and religion, he is most noted for his 19-volume diary.  Spanning 80 years, the diary provided the world with a unique window on the artistic and literary scene in Paris.  The popularity of his diary was, he said, based on his free form and spontaneous writing style, folksy and highly readable.

 

“The secret is to write just anything, to dare to write just anything,” he said, “because when you write just anything, you begin to say what is important.”