Frédéric Dard
Writing
Biography
Frédéric Charles Antoine Dard (29 June 1921, in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isère, France – 6 June 2000, in Bonnefontaine, Fribourg, Switzerland) also known under the pen name San-Antonio, was a French writer. Known as an author of crime fiction and as a humorist, he was noted for his ability to blend the two genres. Though Dard also wrote serious fiction, his most successful books used a farcical tone. During his lifetime, Dard was the best-selling French-language author in the World. He wrote more than four hundred novels, including the San-Antonio book series, dozens of plays and several screenplays, under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms. Dard used San-Antonio both as his most famous pen name and as the name of the titular hero of his main series. The San-Antonio books eventually became so popular that Dard started using that pen name also for books that did not belong to the series. Dard was best known for his raunchy humor and his inventive use of the French language, notably French slang. Frédéric Dard was born to a working-class family: his father was a metalworker and his mother was employed in a bakery. He first grew up in Saint-Chef before settling in Lyon, where he was mostly raised by his grandmother as his parents faced financial difficulties and his father struggled with alcoholism. Dard was born with a malformed shoulder and a disabled left arm, which caused him to endure exclusion and bullying as a child. Dard's disability remained a lifelong source of discomfort for him and he made constant efforts to hide it. Dard started writing stories during his childhood, with the encouragement of his grandmother. While in high school, he began an apprenticeship in commerce but had little interest in his studies and took refuge in reading. He showed a preference for genre fiction, notably the hardboiled American-style crime novels of British authors Peter Cheyney and James Hadley Chase. His first published work was a short story titled Le Monocle révélateur (The Tell-Tale Monocle) that appeared in a children's magazine during his adolescence. While still a teenager, Dard had the opportunity to meet Lyon author Marcel E. Grancher who gave him his first job as a journalist. Dard published his first novel, La Peuchère, in 1940. That same year, he won his first literary award, the prix Lugdunum, for his book Monsieur Joos. To advance his career, Dard left Lyon for the Parisian region with his family, settling in Les Mureaux in 1948. To earn a living, he produced all sort of writings assignments. In 1949, Dard wrote the crime novel Réglez-lui son compte! which would become the first volume of his San-Antonio series: he found the name of his protagonist by looking randomly at a map of the United States, eventually choosing the name of the city in Texas. The book sold poorly but it was bought by Armand de Caro, who headed Fleuve Noir, France's leading publishing house of genre fiction. De Caro saw potential in the book and took Dard under contract. ... Source: Article "Frédéric Dard" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known For
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Champs-Elysées
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Vivement dimanche
Apostrophes was a live, weekly, literary, prime-time, talk show on French television created and hosted by Bernard Pivot. It ran for fifteen years (724 episodes) from January 10, 1975, to June 22, 1990, and was one of the most watched shows on French television (around 6 million regular viewers). It was broadcast on Friday nights on the channel France 2 (which was called "Antenne 2" from 1975 to 1992). The hourlong show was devoted to books, authors and literature. The format varied between one-on-one interviews with a single author and open discussions between four or five authors.
Apostrophes
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Sacrée soirée
Marcello Mastroianni, Isabelle Adjani, Alain Delon, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen... the biggest stars in cinema were welcomed by Christian Defaye on his show Spécial cinéma. Between intimate confessions from actors and immersion in the world of the greatest filmmakers, Christian Defaye took viewers on a journey into the fascinating world of cinema for nearly thirty years.
Spécial cinéma
Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television program created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It aired at 8:30 pm on the first channel of the ORTF from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then on the second color channel of the ORTF from September 1972 to December 1974, and finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21, 1989. The program returned to France 2 on December 20, 2018 and is hosted by Anne-Sophie Lapix.
Le Grand Échiquier
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Nulle part ailleurs
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Samedi soir
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30 millions d'amis
While a terrorist epidemy strikes the world leaders, the commissaire San-Antonio and his partner, the lieutenant Bérurier, have to escort the French ambassador in a British hotel. But after a negligence of Bérurier (one more little sex affair...), San-Antonio witnessed, helpless, to the ambassador's abduction, organized by a gorgeous Italian girl. Back to Paris, San-Antonio is dismissed by the police chief, Achille Hachille. A real godsend for Bérurier, who get promoted... But soon, the situation degenerates, when the president of the Republic mysteriously disappears. Immediate reaction from Police Minister : San-Antonio is the only one who can save the day. He has 48 hours and a secret squad to find the president. At the Elysée, San-Antonio finds Bérurier, the official investigator. But now, it's every man for himself : who will be the first to find the President ?
San Antonio
A Christmas Eve encounter between two enigmatic strangers sparks a poignant connection - but a dark turn of events threatens to expose their murky past.
Merry Christmas
While traveling to a resort in Tunisia, the magician and clairvoyant Professor Vestar befriends the idle millionaire Edouard Vangard and he offers a ride in his car. Vestar discloses to Edouard that he had had a premonition of a woman being murdered in a desert area.
Death Rite
A man walks into a movie theater in Paris and starts watching a film—the same one we're watching, consisting of four stories of best criminal intentions gone awry from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Crime Does Not Pay
With his penchant for glamorous cases and courtroom pyrotechnics, attorney Julien Da Costa basks in his reputation as one of Paris' most flamboyant lawyers. Abounding in startling developments and seemingly inexplicable occurrences, his cases always culminate in spectacular courtroom scenes. Thanks to his extraordinary mind, implacable logic, and devastating humor, Da Costa unravels the most intricate webs of lies and intrigues before a startled assembly.
Maître Da Costa
An official's earlier rise to power had some sordid aspects that are about to be uncovered by the death of his uncle. While he is trying to contain any potential scandal, the man becomes enamored of the daughter of his uncle's maid. This new romance inspires him to forget worries about a public image and focus on a new life -- not any easy objective when unsavory friends and foes have their own agendas in mind.
Is There a Frenchman in the House?
Walter Klozett is a spy arrested and imprisoned by the French Police who know him in possession of stolen booty which the French secret services would like to recover at all costs.
San-Antonio ne pense qu'à ça
Rich industrialist Jacques Decret learns his wife Gloria is having an affair with a young actor. For revenge, he bombards her with anonymous letters, convincing her that her lover is the culprit while Gloria desperately seeks a way out.
Back to the Wall
On Christmas night, an ex-convict meets a beautiful, married Italian woman who has a lot of things to hide.
Paris Pick-Up
Paul Lamiani, a wizened mobster, is asked to return to duty following the disappearance of secret documents of extreme importance. It is assumed that they are in the hands of a friend of Paul. But the case becomes even more delicate when Lamiani's son is kidnapped.
The Beast Is Loose
A con artist couple takes a young, handsome petty thief under their wing, but jealousies flare when the woman develops an interest in him.