Jacques Lusseyran, Blind Hero of the French Resistance
I'm outlining a novel inspired by the life of this man. Jacques Lusseyran (19 September 1924—27 July 27 1971) was born in Paris. A school accident caused him to become totally blind at the age of eight. However, he soon learned to adapt to being blind and maintained many close friendships. As a young teenager, alarmed at the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism in Germany, he decided to learn the German language in order to listen to German radio broadcasts and understand his country's perilous situation better.
In the spring of 1941, during the Nazi Occupation of France, Lusseyran formed a Resistance group called the Volunteers of Liberty with fifty-two other boys; the group later merged with another Resistance group called Défense de la France.
In July 1943 Lusseyran was arrested by the Gestapo, betrayed by a weak-willed member of his group. He was sent to Buchenwald with two thousand other French citizens where, because he was blind, he was exempted from forced labor. Lusseyran helped to motivate a spirit of resistance at Buchenwald particularly within the French and German prisoners. In April 1945 when the British and Americans liberated the camp he was freed.
After the war Lusseyran taught French literature in the United States and wrote books, including the autobiographical And There Was Light, which chronicles the first twenty years of his life. He died together with his third wife Marie in a car accident in France on 27 July 1971. He is survived by his four children.
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In the spring of 1941, during the Nazi Occupation of France, Lusseyran formed a Resistance group called the Volunteers of Liberty with fifty-two other boys; the group later merged with another Resistance group called Défense de la France.
In July 1943 Lusseyran was arrested by the Gestapo, betrayed by a weak-willed member of his group. He was sent to Buchenwald with two thousand other French citizens where, because he was blind, he was exempted from forced labor. Lusseyran helped to motivate a spirit of resistance at Buchenwald particularly within the French and German prisoners. In April 1945 when the British and Americans liberated the camp he was freed.
After the war Lusseyran taught French literature in the United States and wrote books, including the autobiographical And There Was Light, which chronicles the first twenty years of his life. He died together with his third wife Marie in a car accident in France on 27 July 1971. He is survived by his four children.
SUBSCRIBE TO MY OCCASIONAL NEWSLETTER. CLICK HERE.
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