Athanase Jean (born 1861 in Saint-Césaire, died 1932 at Rouffiac,
Charente-Maritime) was a French country doctor and writer.Athanase
Jean, better known by the name of Doctor Jean, was born on 24 November
1861 at Saint-Cesaire, Charente-Maritime, into a family of winemakers.
Having done well at his studies undertaken in Pons, Saintes and
Rochefort and ending up specialising in naval health, he found himself
posted to Guyana for his military service. It was there that he began
practising medicine.On his return to France, he was able to complete
his university degree. He was subsequently asked by the residents of
Rouffiac to become their local doctor, a post that he kept until his
death on 17 February 1932.An enthusiastic man and curious about
everything, he kept his peasant roots at heart and showed a talent for
speaking and writing about the Saintonge using the local dialect. This
resulted in several works, the most relevant and most popular of which
was undoubtedly "La Mérine à Nastasie", a comedy in three acts in
Saintongeais, and published under the pseudonym of Yan San Acer
(Saint-Acer being the Saintonge name of his birthplace, Saint-Césaire
). It was performed for the first time on 25 May 1902 at the Chateau
de Mauleon in Rouffiac. On 4 December of the same year it made its
début in Paris at the Salle Lancry. It has been reprised on various
occasions throughout the twentieth century.
Charente-Maritime) was a French country doctor and writer.Athanase
Jean, better known by the name of Doctor Jean, was born on 24 November
1861 at Saint-Cesaire, Charente-Maritime, into a family of winemakers.
Having done well at his studies undertaken in Pons, Saintes and
Rochefort and ending up specialising in naval health, he found himself
posted to Guyana for his military service. It was there that he began
practising medicine.On his return to France, he was able to complete
his university degree. He was subsequently asked by the residents of
Rouffiac to become their local doctor, a post that he kept until his
death on 17 February 1932.An enthusiastic man and curious about
everything, he kept his peasant roots at heart and showed a talent for
speaking and writing about the Saintonge using the local dialect. This
resulted in several works, the most relevant and most popular of which
was undoubtedly "La Mérine à Nastasie", a comedy in three acts in
Saintongeais, and published under the pseudonym of Yan San Acer
(Saint-Acer being the Saintonge name of his birthplace, Saint-Césaire
). It was performed for the first time on 25 May 1902 at the Chateau
de Mauleon in Rouffiac. On 4 December of the same year it made its
début in Paris at the Salle Lancry. It has been reprised on various
occasions throughout the twentieth century.
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