Cru, Jean Norton (1879-1949)
Born in Labatie-d'Andaure (Ardèche) on September 9, 1879, died in Bransles (Seine-et-Marne) on June 21, 1949.
Historian of the First World War. - Professor of French literature at Williams College (Mass.).
Mobilized in 1914, he fought on the front lines for over 2 years, observing every detail of life in the trenches.
Drawing on his experience, Jean Norton Cru analyzed 251 accounts of the Great War. These analyses form the basis of his book
"Témoins. Paris: Les Etincelles, 1929" (republished in 1993 and 2006 by Presses universitaires de Nancy).
The fund
In June 1961, the BU Lettres et Sciences humaines received a donation from Madame Hélène Vogel, sister of Jean Norton Cru. The works - 427 titles in 451 volumes, a far greater number than those that make up the "Témoins" book - represent J. Norton Cru's personal collection, which he continued until his death.
The majority of these works are testimonies by combatants of the 14-18 war. There are, however, a few earlier authors, such as Napoleonic General Baron de Marbot, or later ones such as Yves Gibeau.
The works are catalogued and stored in the "Reserve" section, according to the alphabetical order of the authors' names.
But the Norton Cru collection also includes other documents: critical articles on "Témoins" published in the French and foreign press, critical articles on works belonging to the corpus, and staff maps sometimes annotated in Jean Norton Cru's hand, notably the map of the Chemin des Dames, marked "secret".
The Archives de la Ville de Marseille hold complementary documents to this collection: the Cru family papers (Fonds Théodore Vogel) and Norton Cru's correspondence with combatants (reference 46 II 3).
Conditions of access and information
The reserve collection is not accessible to the public. Documents can be read on site:
- by contacting the Loan Bank at BU des Fenouillères
- during opening hours: 8am-7pm Monday to Friday / 10am-4pm Saturday
Public concerned:
Communication is reserved for students from Master 1 level upwards, teachers and researchers, external users on presentation of their research topic, and undergraduate students on request from their teacher.
Contact: Estelle DUMONT
