Geneviève Callerot (born 6 May 1916) is a French novelist and farmer.[1] In World War II, with her father and sister, she assisted more than 200 people in passing the demarcation line from the occupied french territory to Zone libre, the unoccupied territory of Vichy France.

Geneviève Callerot
Born (1916-05-06) 6 May 1916 (age 107)
Paris, France
OccupationWriter and farmer
LanguageFrench

In 2018, at the age of 102, Callerot became a member of the Legion of Honour.

Biography edit

Geneviève Callerot was born in Paris.[2] Before end of World War I she escaped the Paris shelling by the German siege guns to Périgord and settled in Saint-Aulaye (Département Dordogne).[3][4][5] She took homeschooling by her parents.[6]

The armistice of 22 June 1940 set the Demarcation line separating the German occupied part of France to the zone libre near their residence. With her father and sister she started helping people passing the demarcation line. Until arrested and imprisoned for three weeks in October 1942, she helped Jews, children and wounded British and American soldiers to escape from the Nazi Regime occupied territory over two years.[3]

After the war, she rented with her husband a farm. In the 1960s her Cousin, writer Jean-Charles discovered her skills in writing. Not longer wasting her talent the following decades, in 1983 her book Les Cinq Filles du Grand-Barrail became a success.[3][4][5]

On 24 August 2018, she became a member of the Legion of Honour. The award was handed out by former member of departmental council of Dordogne Gérard Fayolle. Rejecting former offers, as an honor to her parents she accepted this award.[5]

Publications edit

  • Les Cinq Filles du Grand-Barrail (in French). Éditions universitaires. 1983. ISBN 978-2-711-30239-0.
  • Treize grains de maïs (in French). Éditions universitaires. 1986. ISBN 978-2-711-30342-7..
  • Létang des Trois-Jules (in French). Publi-fusion. 1993. ISBN 978-2-907-26525-6..
  • Quatre sons de cloche (in French). De Borée. 2001. ISBN 978-2-844-94069-8..
  • La demoiselle du château (in French). Le Grand Livre du mois. 2014. ISBN 978-2-286-11385-8.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Elle sauve 200 personnes pendant la guerre et reçoit la Légion d'honneur à 102 ans". 24 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Présidentielle 2017 : A 101 ans, Geneviève Callerot connaîtra son 17ème président" (in French). minutenews. fr. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Elle sauve 200 personnes pendant la guerre and reçoit la Légion d'honneur à 102 ans" (in French). leparisien. fr. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018..
  4. ^ a b "Elle reçoit la Légion d'honneur à 102 ans" (in French). lefigaro. fr. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018..
  5. ^ a b c Mickaël Chailloux (23 August 2018). "Dordogne : une centenaire reçoit la légion d'honneur ce vendredi" (in French). francebleu.fr. Retrieved 26 August 2018..
  6. ^ "Geneviève Callerot, retraitée agricole périgourdine, romancière, et...centenaire" (in French). france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2018.

External links edit