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Henry de Montherlant (April 21, 1896–September 21, 1972) was a French writer of essays and novels.
His early successes were works such as the tetralogy Les jeunes filles (1936–1939) and Les célibataires (1934). At this time he did a lot of travelling, mainly to Spain, Italy, and Algeria. He also wrote for the theatre, especially after World War II, writing plays such as La reine morte (1934) and Pasiphaë (1949). In his novels, in particular, he liked to portray heroic and morally perfect characters.
Montherlant mostly hid his homosexual tendencies during his lifetime. In 1912, he had been expelled from the prestigious Sainte-Croix de Neuilly school for a relationship with a younger pupil. His novel Les garçons (1969) and his correspondence with Roger Peyrefitte (author of Les amitiés particulières (1943), also about homosexual relationships between boys at a Roman Catholic boarding school), are the main testaments to this side of his character.
Between 1960 and 1972, Montherlant was a member of the Académie française. He committed suicide in 1972.
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