26 July 2017

Marcel Pagnol's Birthplace, Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône (13)

The birthplace of Marcel Pagnol (1895–1974), film maker, writer, academician, etc, is 16 Cours Barthélemy in Aubagne. At the time of visiting the house (today, as I write) external renovations were being made. This meant that a photo of the house itself would have had a very negative look, so I avoided taking one. Sculptor Daniel Scaturro's bust of Pagnol, revealed on 28 February 2015, on the 120th anniversary of Pagnol's birth, was covered in very closely woven blue netting. However, I was able to point my lens through it and obtain photos that are at least recognisable.


Marcel Pagnol was the son of Joseph and Augustine, and the family lived in a flat on the third floor. The reconstruction of some of their rooms, is now on the ground floor.

None of the furniture or clothing presented here are original to the Pagnol family, although they are in keeping with the period and are from the Provence area. This is a reconstruction of the salon, and Marcel's mother tended to produce the children's clothes.

The reconstruction of the salon.

Joseph, the father of the family, was teacher at the Lakanal school, and supplemented his income by drawing maps for the publishers Vidal-Lablache.

There are photos of two other noted people from Aubagne: Louis Sicard (1871–1946), the creator of the famous ceramic cicada, who also lived in the house. His sister Thérèse Neveu found a means of making santons (tiny Provençal figures) more durable.

A reconstruction of the Pagnol kitchen.

Bartavelles, or royal partridges, so often mentioned in La Gloire de mon père.

My Marcel Pagnol posts:
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Marcel Pagnol's Birthplace, Aubagne
Le Petit Monde de Marcel Pagnol, Aubagne
Claude Berri's Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources
Marcel Pagnol: La Gloire de mon père | My Father's Glory
Marcel Pagnol: Le Château de ma mère | My Mother's Castle
Marcel Pagnol: Marius
Marcel Pagnol in La Treille, Marseille
Marcel Pagnol: Le Schpountz

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