The great authors
Many great names in French literature are closely or distantly linked to the Principality. The famous Marcel Pagnol, for example, a native of Aubagne, fell in love with Monaco in 1926. It was on this date that he created his play Jazz, at the Monte-Carlo Theatre. A great friend of Prince Rainier III, he even decided to settle in the Principality in 1951 and bought "La Lestra", a magnificent 19th century villa located in Monte Carlo. The author testified his love for Monaco in a sentence inscribed on his commemorative stele: " Here, the Arts can still live in the shade of the olive tree, on the edge of the Latin sea, where the authority of one keeps the freedom of all."
As for the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, he lived a large part of his childhood and adolescence in the Principality. He stayed there until his baccalaureate, which he did not obtain, before leaving for Paris and becoming the accomplished poet that we know. The writer Armand Lunel, for his part, spent his last years in the Principality, where he died in 1977. A writing prize organized by the Pen Club of Monaco bears his name
Finally, of course, the famous singer and poet Léo Ferré left his mark in the Principality, where he was born and attended school. Naturalized Monegasque in 1953, he composed La Chanson du mal-aimé the following year at the Monte-Carlo Opera, on the proposal of Prince Rainier III. He is now buried in the Monaco cemetery; a square and a cultural space now bear his name. It is even possible to buy stamps with his effigy
The Prince Peter of Monaco Award for Literature
This literary prize has existed since 1951, created by the Monegasque Prince by marriage: Pierre de Polignac. It is awarded each year to a renowned French-speaking author for the whole of his or her work, on the occasion of the publication of a new book. Among the laureates, we find for example Jean Giono, Hervé Bazin, Eugène Ionesco, Marguerite Yourcenar, Françoise Sagan or Chantal Thomas. Currently presided over by Princess Caroline of Monaco, granddaughter of Pierre de Polignac, this prize is endowed with a sum of 25 000 euros.
Book Fair
Organized by the association "Les Rencontres Littéraires Fabian Boisson", and under the high patronage of Prince Albert II, the Monaco Book Fair is the must-attend event for literature lovers since 2012. Entirely free and open to the public, it offers every year, and during a weekend, its share of conferences and meetings with the great authors who are invited
Charlotte Casiraghi and the love of philosophy
The daughter of Princess Caroline of Hanover is not only known for her equestrian prowess. She has also written a book and a few press articles, especially abroad, but she is also the founder of the "Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco", where numerous conferences are organized, and of the Philosophy Prize
Monaco is also told in comics
Lovers of the ninth art will be delighted to learn that a dozen comic books, available for consultation at the Monaco media library, retrace the history of the Principality and its emblematic historical figures. Some of them have been prefaced by Princes Rainier III and Albert II, as a token of their support for these fine initiatives.
The most recent album to date is dedicated to the legend of Saint Devote, patron saint of Monaco. Another, dedicated to Prince Albert I and his incredible expeditions, was released in 2018. Those nostalgic for the adventures of Michel Vaillant may also remember the issue Panic in Monaco
, where the famous driver must foil a sinister plot during the Grand Prix.Did you know that? Tintin, the great reporter with the puffball born under the pencil of the Belgian cartoonist Hergé also exists in Monegasque! Renamed Tintin (pronounced "Tinetine"), he travels alongside Captain Stocafí and his adorable dog Milu. As for Dupont and Dupond, they are now known as Duponte and Davuta. The first album translated is none other than the famous Les Bijoux de la Castafiore: I Ori d'A Castafiore. It is up to you to guess what is also hidden under U secretu d'a Licorna and U Tresoru Rakamu U Russu.
Difficult to find, they are nevertheless available for consultation at the media library of Monaco.The Monegasque language
It was the poet and writer Louis Notari (1879-1961) who brought the Monegasque language back to the forefront. A fervent defender of this dialectal language, he was the first to codify Monegasque in a written language, whereas it had previously only been used orally. It is from his pen that the very first work entirely written in Monegasque was born: La légende de sainte Dévote. He was also responsible for the lyrics of the Monegasque national anthem, which was first created in French by Théophile Bellando de Castro. Louis Notari is also well known for having written the lyrics of Campanin de San Niculau, a piece that was played at the funeral of Prince Rainier III, in accordance with his request. In recognition of his legacy, a street and a library in Monaco now bear the name of Louis Notari
The Monegasque priest and poet Louis Frolla also participated in the definition of the language by publishing a Monegasque grammar in 1960, then a French-Monegasque dictionary in 1963, completed by another dictionary co-written by Monegasque lexicographers Louis Barral and Suzanne Simone twenty years later.
Similarly, the Monegasque priest Georges Franzi is considered the first teacher of Monegasque in the Principality, when Prince Rainier made it compulsory to learn it in school in 1972. The canon even developed the first school textbooks U me primu libru and A piciuna gramatica. He is also the author of the Christmas hymn : Meditaçiun sci'u Pan de Natale.
Today, the learning of the Monegasque language is compulsory in secondary school. The Academy of Dialectal Languages, created in 1981, contributes to the influence of the language by offering courses in Monegasque and by participating in international colloquia and conferences on linguistics to represent the Principality.
