Jean d'Ormesson, 'immortal' of the prestigious Academie Francaise, dies aged 92
Jean d'Ormesson, a very public face among the usually discreet "immortals" of the prestigious Academie Francaise, has died aged 92.
French President Emmanuel Macron called him a "prince of letters".
The academy announced that d'Ormesson, a writer, philosopher and newspaper commentator, died on Tuesday but did not provide a cause of death.
A dapper man known for his charm and wit, he appeared regularly on French TV - unlike most other lifetime members of the academy.
He was among the rare academicians who might be recognisable to the French public.
D'Ormesson wrote some 50 books and essays, starting in 1956.
His last work, Ces Moments De Bonheur, Ces Midis D'Incendie (These Moments Of Happiness, These Fiery Noons), was published last year.
Despite his prolific writings, d'Ormesson was not widely translated into other languages.
D'Ormesson was inducted into the academy in 1973, sitting in the 12th of 40 assigned chairs.
"Immortals", considered as intellectual and literary giants, don green and gold embroidered suits and each carries a sword for formal meetings.
"He was the best of the French spirit, a unique mix of intelligence, elegance and maliciousness," the French president tweeted.
"A prince of letters knowing to never take himself seriously. We already miss the eye, the smile, the words of Jean d'Ormesson."
D'Ormesson worked in journalism early in his career and was the director-general of the conservative daily Le Figaro from 1974-1977, then spent four decades as a commentator at the paper.
In an interview with Le Figaro to mark his 90th birthday, d'Ormesson said he "absolutely had no vocation as a novelist" and wrote his first novel, L'Amour Est Un Plaisir (Love Is A Pleasure) "to please a girl" - it did not work.
Il était le meilleur de l'esprit français, un mélange unique d'intelligence, d'élégance et de malice, un prince des lettres sachant ne jamais se prendre au sérieux. L'œil, le sourire, les mots de Jean d'Ormesson nous manquent déjà.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 5, 2017
He said he did not mind being catalogued as a writer of the political right, and "detested" the existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre.
Born in Paris on June 16 1925, the son of an ambassador, d'Ormesson turned his back on a career working for the state or in medicine, despite his father's nudging, and ended up as a commentator and writer.
He was considered highly enough to take part in an informal TV debate in 1992 with president Francois Mitterrand.
He ended up as a must-have guest on numerous TV shows throughout his life, even appearing in 2001 alongside comedian Jamel Debbouze, who helped him out when he was asked to make deliberate grammatical errors, a tough task for the erudite man representing the Academie Francaise, which works laboriously on dictionaries of the French language.
D'Ormesson called marriage a "nightmare", but did tie the knot with Francoise Beghin, with whom he had a daughter.
He won numerous literary prizes, including the prestigious "Pleiade" in 2015.
