Lucette Destouches

Lucette Destouches
Destouches (left), François Gibault, and Maroussia Klimova in 1995
Born
Lucie Almansor

20 July 1912
Paris, France
Died8 November 2019(2019-11-08) (aged 107)
Meudon, France
OccupationDancer
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1943; died 1961)​

Lucette Destouches (French pronunciation: [lysɛt detuʃ]; 20 July 1912 – 8 November 2019) was a French dancer.[1][2][3] She was married to the writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline until his death in 1961.

Biography

Destouches was the daughter of Joseph Almansor and Gabrielle Donas Lucie Georgette Almansor.[4] She was born on 20 July 1912 in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Destouches married Louis-Ferdinand Céline on 15 February 1943 in the 18th arrondissement.[5]

During World War II Céline expressed controversial views about the collaborationist regime in France; in September 1944 he and Lucette fled to Germany to escape retaliation. They later moved to Denmark before returning to France.[6]

In his novels, Céline portrayed Destouches as Lili. The character appeared in Castle to Castle, North, and Rigadoon.

Céline died on 1 July 1961, and Destouches largely kept his death a secret.[citation needed] Only thirty people attended the funeral, including Marcel Aymé, Claude Gallimard, Roger Nimier, Robert Poulet, Jean-Roger Caussimon, and Lucien Rebatet.[citation needed]

Destouches began to teach classical dance. She taught courses with Judith Magre, Françoise Gallimard, Isabelle Gallimard, Ludmilla Tchérina, and members of 2Be3 during their early careers.[citation needed]

Destouches was initially quite opposed to Marie Canavaggia's translations and the publications of Rigodoon and anti-Semitic works written by Céline, such as Bagatelles pour un massacre, L'École des cadavres, and Les Beaux Draps,[7] but finally agreed in 2017.[8] The projects were soon postponed indefinitely.[9]

On her 100th birthday in 2012, Destouches had a series of texts by David Alliot written in her honor, titled Madame Céline.[10][11]

Destouches died on 8 November 2019 at her home in Meudon.[12] She was 107.

References

  1. ^ "Lucette Destouches : Céline, la femme". Bibliobs (in French). 20 July 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Lucette Destouches, la veuve de Louis-Ferdinand Céline, est morte". LePoint.fr (in French). 8 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Lucette Destouches, la veuve de Louis-Ferdinand Céline, est morte". LeFigaro.fr (in French). 8 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Actes de naissance (1860-1924), mariage (1860-1943) et décès (1860-1986)". Archive Paris (in French). Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Acte de naissance no 198". Courbevoie (in French). 28 May 1894. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  6. ^ Schofield, Hugh (24 November 2019). "Last witness to France's cheerleaders for the Nazis". BBC News.
  7. ^ ""Lettres", de Céline : comment Céline devint Céline". Le Monde (in French). 17 December 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  8. ^ "Lucette DESTOUCHES : « Maintenant, je suis perdue... » (1965)". Le Petit Célinien (in French). 7 December 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Gallimard "suspend" son projet de publication des pamphlets antisémites de Céline". Europe1 (in French). 11 January 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Le grand amour de Louis-Ferdinand Céline". L'Express (in French). 11 May 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Madame Céline de David Alliot". franceinfo (in French). 31 May 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Lucette Destouches, gardienne fidèle de l'oeuvre de Céline, est morte". France Culture (in French). 8 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.