Celine, << say LEEN, >> Louis-Ferdinand (1894-1961), was the pen name of Henri-Louis Destouches, a French novelist. He became best known for two unconventional novels, Journey to the End of the Night (1932) and Death on the Installment Plan (1936). Ferdinand Bardamu, the autobiographical hero of these pessimistic, rambling works, is a wandering outsider in search of a better life. In both novels, Celine protested against human suffering, especially sickness and death. His emotional, often crude style is filled with slang and obscene expressions. This style influenced many French and American writers.
Celine was born on May 27, 1894, in Courbevoie. In the 1930’s, he became anti-Semitic and wrote racist political essays. In 1944, during World War II, he went into exile in Germany and Denmark. Celine returned to France in 1951. His last writings are bitter, violent accounts of his experiences during the war. They include Fable for Another Time (1952), Castle to Castle (1957), and North (1960). He died on July 1, 1961.
