Examine individual changes

'~~~~ ==Introduction== [[Ernest Pérochon|'''Ernest Pérochon''']] (1885-1942) was a French write who won the [[Prix Goncourt|''Prix Goncourt'']] in 1920 for his novel, Nêne. Initially a teacher, he left his career in education in 1921 to pursue writing. He wrote poems, novels (ranging from realism to science fiction), as well as children’s literature. ==Childhood and Adolescence== [[Ernest Pérochon|Ernest Pérochon]] was born February 24, 1885 in [[Courlay|Courlay]], [[Deux-Sèvres|Deux-Sèvres]] at Tyran Farm. He was raised as a Protestant in a region with an unusual religious make-up, living alongside both Royalist Catholic “chouans” from the Vendée and dissidents from “the little church” which had refused the authority of the [[1801 Concordat|1801 Concordat]] signed by [[Napoleon|Napoleon]] and [[Pope Pius VII|Pope Pius VII.]] He was very attached to his home region and to family values. He described in his stories his love for the common people, “les cherche-pain” (bread seekers) in his home region of the Gâtine at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1897, Pérochon became a student at l’Ecole Primaire Supérieure in Bressuire, 11 kilometers north of [[Courlay|Courlay]]. ==Adulthood== In 1900, Ernest Pérochon enrolled at l’Ecole Normale in [[Parthenay|Parthenay]] (35 kilometers southeast of [[Courlay|Courlay]]) and then later became an assistant primary teacher at [[Courlay|Courlay]] before becoming a teacher at l’Ecole Primaire Supérieure in [[Parthenay|Parthenay]]. He served in the military in 1905 under the [[114th Infantry Regiment|114th Infantry Regiment]] in [[Saint-Maixent|Saint-Maixent]]. In 1907, he married Vanda Houmeau, who was also a teacher. He then moved to Saint-Paul-en-Gâtine where his only daughter, Simone, was born in 1908. In 1908, his first work was published by Clouzot in [[Niort|Niort]]. In 1909, he was published for a second time and his first novel, ''Les creux de maisons'', in which he evoked the image of “les cherche-pain,” was also serialized in the newspaper l’Humanité in this year. ==Death== In 1914, Ernest Pérochon returned to teaching in Vouillé. After being called up to the army, he suffered a heart attack on the front lines. In 1920, his novel Nêne, published by Clouzot, earned him the [[Prix Goncourt|Prix Goncourt]]. The following year, he retired from teaching for good and moved to [[Niort|Niort]]. In 1940, he refused to collaborate with the [[Vichy|Vichy]] Press and two of his novels were banned. He was threatened by the [[Vichy|Vichy]] Prefect and [[Gestapo|Gestapo]] watched him closely. He concealed his anxiety from his family. He died February 10, 1942 from another heart attack at age 57. ==Anecdote== In 1935, his daughter, Simone, married Delphin Debenest, who was also involved in the [[Resistance|Resistance]] during [[World War II|World War II]. A soldier in 1940, this intelligence agent in the Franco-Belgian Resistance was arrested by the [[Gestapo|Gestapo]] and sent to [[Buchenwald|Buchenwald]] and then to Kommando in [[Holzen|Holzen]] from which he succeeded in escaping. During the [[Nuremberg Trails|Nuremberg Trials]], this extraordinary man acted as deputy prosecutor. He was also a magistrate in [[Niort|Niort]] and [[Poitiers|Poitiers]] and won numerous French and Belgian military decorations ==Homage/Tributes== On March 31, 1985, the public school of Tour Nivelle (in [[Courlay|Courlay]]) held a commemoration ceremony for the 100th birthday of Ernest Pérochon which was well-attended by the public and many key figures were there. Under the High Patronage of the Minister of National Education and Culture, numerous speeches were given, including one by Mr. Leblond-Zola, grandson of [[Emile Zola|Emile Zola]]. For this occasion, a classroom from the time when Pérochon was a student (and later a teacher) at Tour Nivelle was reconstructed. People have visited this place from then on and it can still be visited today. This marked the beginning of the year of Ernest Pérochon which was celebrated with many cultural events in the [[Deux-Sèvres|Deux-Sèvres]] as well as with shows and displays relating to the works of Pérochon such as “l’homme frénétique” (The Frenzied Man), “les creux de maisons,” and “les gardiennes” (The Caretakers). The high school in [[Parthenay|Parthenay]], a group of schools in [[Niort|Niort]] and in Cerizay, the municipal library in Echiré and many streets in the department of the [[Deux-Sèvres|Deux-Sèvres]] are named in memory of this French writer.'