- Youenn Drezen
Youenn Drezen (1899–1972) is the
Breton language name of Yves Le Drézen, aBreton nationalist writer and activist. He is also known as Corentin Cariou and Tin Gariou.Youth
He was born in in
Pont-l'Abbé into a poor family. His father died in 1911, leaving eight children to be raised by his young widow. Taken in by Catholic missionaries, he moved to Spain as aseminarian , living in the Basque region and then Castille. He met Jakez Riou and while conducting literary, scientific and religious studies, they explored the literary potential of the Breton language, aspiring to give it a refined form unsullied by convention.Having abandoned his religious training, he met, while on military service in
Rennes , officials of the nationalist group "Unvaniezh Yaouankiz Breiz", which led to the publication of his first article in support of Breton nationalism in the journal "Breiz Atao ".Literary career
In 1924, he became a journalist with the "Courrier du Finistère". He participated in the Quimper Pan-Celtic Congress of 1924, with
François Debeauvais ,Yann Sohier , Jakez Riou, Abeozen, and Marcel Guieysse, under the banner of "Breiz Atao". He later worked for "Gwalarn ", the literary magazine founded in 1922 byRoparz Hemon andOlier Mordrel , where he established himself by publishing Breton translations from Spanish (Calderon) and ancient Greek (Aeschylus). He also published his own poetry, notably "Nozvez arkus e beg an enezenn" ("Night Watch at the Edge of the Island"), written in memory of Jakez Riou in 1938.He also translated books for children, for example
Beatrix Potter . These were published by "Gwalarn", and were distributed free in schools to children who had participated in essay competitions in the Breton language.Drezen's translations led to a full-time career as a writer. He produced a rich and varied "oeuvre" of poems, novels and plays, always written entirely in Breton. Some novels have been translated into French (by Pierre Jakez Hélias among others). He is considered one of the best writers in Breton, because he knew how to mix vivid expression with a quest for literary perfection, sometimes through euphony.
He joined the Breton art and literary movement
Seiz Breur .World War II
During World War II, Drezen regularly published
anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler articles in the collaborationist periodical "L'Heure Breton", an organ of theBreton National Party . He also wrote for Mordrel's "Stur", "Galv" (edited by Henri Le Helloco) and inYann Fouéré 's "La Bretagne".In 1941, he published the first full-length novel in Breton, "Itron Varia Garmez", which was set in Pont-l'Abbé (French edition, Denoël, 1943: Notre-Dame Bigoudenn). Shortly afterwards, he freelanced for "Radio Rennes Brittany", writing radio plays and giving talks.
In 1943, he edited the bilingual newspaper "Arvor". In this paper wrote many anti-American articles about the bombing of
Nantes , which reflected widespread local resentment of the attacks. He was arrested in 1944, but released after a few months.After the war
After the war he remained in Nantes, where he ran a café. He continued to write for "Al Liamm", the journal that succeeded "Gwalarn". He also wrote an autobiographical novel "Skol Louarn Veïg Trebern" about his impoverished youth. He died in
Lorient in 1972.External links
* [http://www.communautarisme.net/grib/Le-racisme-et-l-antisemitisme-de-Youenn-Drezen,-d-apres-ses-articles-publies-dans-le-journal-Arvor-dirige-par-Roparz_a22.html The Racism and Antisemitism of Youenn Drezen]
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