Claire Malroux

Claire Malroux (3 September 1925 – 4 February 2025) was the pen name of French poet, essayist and translator Josette Andrée Malroux. Malroux published a dozen poetry collections and also served as the French translator for notable American poets such as Emily Dickinson and Wallace Stevens.^[1] Malroux's own poetry has been translated into English by Marilyn Hacker.^[2]

Claire Malroux
Born	Josette Andrée Malroux (1925-09-03)3 September 1925 Albi, France
Died	4 February 2025(2025-02-04) (aged 99) Sèvres, France
Occupation	Poet, translator
Language	French
Nationality	French
Alma mater	École Normale Supérieure
Notable awards	Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur

Background

Malroux was born on 3 September 1925 in France in Albi, Tarn département.^[3] She studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Malroux was a teenager during World War II. Her father was Augustin Malroux, a socialist, teacher and member of the French Resistance, which led to his arrest, deportation and death during the war.^[4]

Malroux died in Sèvres on 4 February 2025, at the age of 99.^[5]

Career

Malroux published 12 volumes of poetry, in addition to two "hybrid prose works." Four of those volumes (Edge, A Long-Gone Sun, Birds and Bison and Daybreak) have been translated into English by Hacker.^[4][6] Her 1998 work Soleil de jadis: recit poeme tells the story of World War II from a child's perspective through poetry.^[4]

Malroux translated the works of numerous English-language poets into French, but cited Emily Dickinson as one of the most impactful, describing it as the "awakening of a personal affinity."^[4] In 1999, she was awarded the title of Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur for her translation work.^[7]