Saint-John Perse (pseudonym of Alexis Léger, also Alexis Saint-Legér Léger) (31 May 1887 – 20 September 1975) was a French poet and diplomat who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960 "for the soaring flight and evocative imagery of his poetry." May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Nobel Prize in literature is awarded annually to an author from any country who has produced the most outstanding work of an idealistic tendency. The work in this case generally refers to an authors work as a whole, not to any individual work, though individual works are sometimes...

Alexis Léger was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. His father, a lawyer, had lived in Guadeloupe since 1815. His family divided their time between the two family plantations, one a coffee plantation and the other a sugar plantation. Pointe-à-Pitre is the main town of the French Caribbean island and French département doutre-mer of Guadeloupe, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1897, Hégésippe Légitimus, the first native Guadeloupan president of the General Council, was elected and promised a vindictive stance towards the colonists. The Leger family returned to France and settled in Pau. The young Alexis felt as if he were in exile. However, he did spend much of his time in sports, hiking, fencing, horseback riding, and sailing. 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Pau is a town of southwestern France, préfecture (capital) of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département. ...

In 1904, he received his baccalaureate with honors and began his law studies in Bordeaux. In the cultural circles that he frequented, he met Paul Claudel and Odilon Redon. His first publication was a translation of Robinson Crusoe, and he also undertook a translation of Pindar. He had to interrupt his studies in 1907 because of the change in the family's financial situtation after the death of his father. He did, however, receive his degree in 1910, the same year he published Eloges. Year 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... New city flag (traditional tri-crescent) City coat of arms Motto: The fleur-de-lis alone rules over the moon, the waves, the castle, and the lion Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Aquitaine Département Gironde (33) Intercommunality Urban Community of Bordeaux Mayor... Cover of Time Magazine(March 21, 1927) Paul Claudel (August 6, 1868 – February 23, 1955) was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. ... Self portrait, 1880, Musée dOrsay. ... Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday by Carl Offterdinger Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1719 and sometimes regarded as the first novel in English. ... Pindar (or Pindarus) (522 BC – 443 BC), perhaps the greatest of the nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, was born at Cynoscephalae, a village in Thebes. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

He was introduced into the Foreign Ministry in 1911 and traveled frequently to Spain, Germany, and England. At the beginning of World War I, he was attached to the government press corps. From 1916 to 1921, he was secretary at the French Embassy in Peking. There, he received his true political apprenticeship. In 1921, he participated in a conference on disarmament in Washington DC and was noticed by Aristide Briand, who made him his assistant. In Paris, he was involved in the literary circles of André Gide and Paul Valéry, as well as the musical circles of Igor Stravinsky, Nadia Boulanger, and les Six. 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... Aristide Briand (March 28, 1862 – March 7, 1932) was a French statesman who served several terms as Prime Minister of France and won the Nobel Peace Prize. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... André Gide in 1893 Gide redirects here, for other people named Gide, see Gide (disambiguation) André Paul Guillaume Gide (November 22, 1869 – February 19, 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1947. ... For other people of the same name, see Valery. ... Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский, Igor Fëdorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian composer who first achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by the impresario Serge Diaghilev and performed by Diaghilevs Ballets Russes (Russian Ballet): LOiseau de feu (The Firebird) (1910), Petrushka (1911... Nadia Boulanger (September 16, 1887 – October 22, 1979) was an influential composer, conductor, and music professor. ... Le Groupe des Six, 1922, by Jacques-Emile Blanche. ...

In 1924, he published Anabase, using the pseudonym of Saint-John Perse for the first time. Even after the death of Briand, he continued to occupy important posts in the government. From 1933 to 1940, he was general secretary of the Foreign Ministry, despite great instability in the government. At the Conference of Munich in 1938, he opposed the cession of Czechoslovakia to Germany in vain. He was removed from his post in 1940 and left France, crossing to the United States by way of England. 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

The Vichy government removed him from the French Legion of Honor and revoked his French citizenship. He passed some time in financial difficulties until Archibald MacLeish, Director of the Library of Congress and himself a poet, offered him a post. Lilita Abreu joined him in Washington D.C.. He refused a teaching position at Harvard University to concentrate on his work. The Opera in Vichy. ... French Legion of Honor The Légion dhonneur (in Legion of Honor (AmE) or Legion of Honour (ComE)) is an Order of Chivalry awarded by the President of France. ... Archibald MacLeish Archibald MacLeish (May 7, 1892 – April 20, 1982) was an American poet, writer and the Librarian of Congress. ... The Great Hall interior. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

He remained in America long after the war, traveling extensively. In 1957, he was offered a villa in Provence, and from that time on, he divided his time between France and the United States. In 1958, he married Dorothy Milburn Russell, a wealthy American. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1960, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in his villa in Provence and was buried in Giens. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur. ...

External links

• Saint-John Perse biography from the official Nobel Prize website
• Saint-John Perse, le poète aux masques, site (in French) devoted to the author
• Nobel acceptance speech