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Juliette Benzoni

Born

in Paris, France

October 30, 1920

Died

February 07, 2016

Genre

Historical Fiction, History and Mystery

Influences

Alexander Dumas, Jean Racine, Charles Dickens, Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, ...more

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Juliette Benzoni, (Andrée-Marguerite-Juliette) was a French author and international bestseller in several genres, including historical romance, historical fiction, mystery and screenwriting. Named by the Media as the « Queen of History Novels » and « Daughter of Alexander Dumas».

Born 1920 in Paris and growing up in an upper-middle-class family. At the age of nine, she discovered her passion for history while looking at a photo of ‘Joan of Arc’. Benzoni studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris’, philosophy, law and literature. At the age of fifteen, her parents moved to Saint-Mandé where she lived until her death.

In 1941, she married a doctor from Dijon, and was soon mother of two children. During that period, she studied at the librarie Juliette Benzoni, (Andrée-Marguerite-Juliette) was a French author and international bestseller in several genres, including historical romance, historical fiction, mystery and screenwriting. Named by the Media as the « Queen of History Novels » and « Daughter of Alexander Dumas».

Born 1920 in Paris and growing up in an upper-middle-class family. At the age of nine, she discovered her passion for history while looking at a photo of ‘Joan of Arc’. Benzoni studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris’, philosophy, law and literature. At the age of fifteen, her parents moved to Saint-Mandé where she lived until her death.

In 1941, she married a doctor from Dijon, and was soon mother of two children. During that period, she studied at the libraries of Dijon the History of the Dukes of Burgundy, where she stumbled on the Legend of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which would later inspire her for her Catherine series.

In 1950, her husband died and she went to Morocco, visiting relatives of her late husband and joined the editorial staff at a radio station and met her future husband, Colonel Count André Benzoni di Conza. They married in 1953, but because of the unstable political situation, she returned to Paris, while her husband was to join the 6th Regiment of Moroccan Spahis in Hué.

Back in Paris, she launched into journalism and worked for various Newspapers, Magazines and wrote for ‘Confidences’ historical articles and interviewed celebrities such as Jean Cocteau, Jean Marais, Erich von Stroheim and Maurice Chevalier.

In 1959, Gérald Gauthier, director of the Press Agency at Opéra Mundi, watched her in a popular television Quiz show and impressed by her historical knowledge about the Italian Renaissance asked her if she were able to write a historical romance series
in the style of Anne Golon's ‘Angélique’.

Benzoni affirmed, remembering her fascination for the ‘Order of the Golden Fleece’. Her research for that soon-to-become Bestseller took up three years and in 1963, 'Catherine, Il suffit d’un amour’ was published. The success was enormous and there followed in 1965, a Song called ‘Catherine, ma mie’ composed by Paul Amar, text by Juliette Benzoni.

The Catherine series was translated into 26 languages. Benzoni's Works includes: 3 Single Novels, 17 series, 18 self-contained short stories; 55 million Readers and 300 million books sold Worldwide. She was a huge fan of the books by Agatha Christie, Anne Perry and Ken Follet. In 1978 she received from the White House a letter by President ‘Ronald Reagan’ for the way she described in her Novel ‘The Lure of the Falcon’ the Independence War!

Four of her Bestsellers the ‘Catherine, Marianne, Le Gerfaut and La Florentine’ series were filmed for French television, for which she wrote the Screenplay, together with Jean Chatenet. Although her later works were not widely translated, in 1984, she was one of the top ten female French writers whose works were translated into English. Two weeks before her death in 2016, her last book ‘Le Vol du Sancy: Des carats pour Ava’? was published. It was the 15th adventure of her favourite hero Prince Aldo Morosini, a mystery series.

Her Awards and Honours:
1973 the Alexandre Dumas Prix, for the Catherine and Marianne series.
1988, the Prix Littéraire « Louis Barthou » Silver Medal from the Académie Française for Felicia au soleil couchant.
1998, the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit Medal, by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
...more

Combine Editions
Juliette Benzoni’s books

Average rating: 4.05 · 9,567 ratings · 393 reviews · 304 distinct works • Similar authors

	Il suffit d'un amour 1e partie (Catherine #1) 4.14 avg rating — 714 ratings — published 1963 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La alcoba de la Reina by Juliette Benzoni, Francisco Rodríguez de Lecea (Translation) 4.07 avg rating — 525 ratings — published 1997 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Catherine (Catherine #2) 4.19 avg rating — 484 ratings — published 1964 — 29 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	El rey de Les Halles by Juliette Benzoni, Francisco Rodríguez de Lecea (Translator) 4.21 avg rating — 397 ratings — published 1998 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	El prisionero enmascarado by Juliette Benzoni, Francisco Rodríguez de Lecea (Translation) 4.26 avg rating — 368 ratings — published 1998 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Catherine and Arnaud (Catherine #4) by Juliette Benzoni, Jocasta Goodwin (Translator) 4.20 avg rating — 345 ratings — published 1967 — 37 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Marianne (Marianne #1) by Juliette Benzoni, Anne Carter (Translator) 3.90 avg rating — 329 ratings — published 1969 — 39 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Catherine's Time for Love (Catherine #5) 4.23 avg rating — 276 ratings — published 1968 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fiora et le Magnifique (La Florentine, #1) 4.13 avg rating — 264 ratings — published 1988 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La estrella azul (Las joyas del templo, #1) by Juliette Benzoni, Teresa Clavel (Translator) 4.08 avg rating — 246 ratings — published 1994 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Juliette Benzoni…

Series by Juliette Benzoni

Catherine (7 books)
by

Juliette Benzoni

4.17 avg rating — 2,366 ratings

Le Boiteux de Varsovie (15 books)
by

Juliette Benzoni

4.02 avg rating — 1,349 ratings

Secret d'État (3 books)
by

Juliette Benzoni,

Francisco Rodríguez de Lecea (Translation)

4.17 avg rating — 1,294 ratings

Marianne (6 books)
by

Juliette Benzoni

3.90 avg rating — 1,245 ratings

La Florentine (4 books)
by

Juliette Benzoni

4.13 avg rating — 844 ratings

More series by Juliette Benzoni…

Quotes by Juliette Benzoni (?)

“I have a weakness for Catherine. Because she was the first of my heroines, and also because I invented her story, whereas "Marianne, a Star for Napoleon" was a command given to me by my Publisher for the bicentenary of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.”
― Juliette Benzoni

tags: authors-on-writing, literature-quote

2 likes

“Ma douce... mon incomparable! T'aimer? Mais je t'ai adorée toute ma vie et je ne cesserai jamais de t'aimer? Jamais! Tant qu'il me restera une pensée, un souffle, je t'aimerais...”
― Juliette Benzoni, La Dame de Montsalvy

tags: historical-romance, romance

1 likes

“And you dare to wear the golden spurs of a knight? You dare to call yourself a Marshal of France and carry the fleur-de-lis on your coat of arms? The meanest lackey in this hall knows more of honour and loyalty than you! Hang and burn my servants and kill me - kill too, now that you have handed your companion-in-arms Arnaud de Montsalvy, to your cousin. With my last breath, I shall call on Heaven to witness that Gilles de Rais is a traitor and a felon!”
― Juliette Benzoni, Belle Catherine

tags: historical-romance, medieval

1 likes

See all Juliette Benzoni's quotes »

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