Colette Vivier (1898–1979)

Colette Vivier was the pen name of Colette Duval, née Lejeune, born in Paris, France. In 1925, she married Jean Duval, a literature professor, with whom she had a son, André Duval. She began publishing books in 1932, using her mother's maiden name, with her earliest texts intended to teach French to German-speaking children. She had her greatest success in 1939 with La maison des petits bonheurs (The House of Small Joys), which received the prestigious Prix Jeunesse. During World War II, she and her husband both belonged to the clandestine Resistance network centered at the Musée de l'Homme, an experience she fictionalized in La maison aux quatre vents (The House of the Four Winds, 1946, published in English in 1965). In the 1940s, she also wrote for the periodical Almanac du gai savoir pour enfants. Her 1955 book La porte ouverte (The Open Door) was situated in the working class world, which she often portrayed in her writings. Today critics consider Colette Vivier one of the leading writers of 20th century French literature for young people. Several children's libraries in France are named in her honor.