Born in Mèze (France) on September 26 1929. Died December 27 2022.
Education
- 1950-1953 : École normale supérieure alumnus
- 1953 : Agrégé de grammaire
- 1953-1954 : Scholar at the French Institute of Arab Studies in Damascus
- 1954-1955 : Military service
- 1967 : Doctor of Letters
Professional career
- 1955-1956 : General Secretary of the French Cultural and Archaeological Mission in Ethiopia
- 1956-1957 : Teacher at Lycée Blaise-Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand
- 1957-1961 : Head of the Africa-Asia sector at the General Directorate for Cultural and Technical Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 1961-1962 : Head of the French Academic and Cultural Mission to the United Arab Republic
- 1962-1964 : Assistant professor of Arabic language and literature at the University of Aix-en-Provence
- 1964-1968 : Assistant lecturer in the sociology of Arabic language and literature at the VIe section of the École Pratique des Hautes Études
- 1968-1970 : Senior lecturer at the University of Vincenne (Paris-VIII)
- 1970-1976 : Lecturer in Arabic language and literature at the University of Paris-III
- 1976-1997 : Professor of Classical Arabic Language and Literature at the Collège de France
- 1984-1987 : General Administrator of the French National Library
- 1991-1997 : Administrator of the Collège de France
Awards
- Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur
- Officer of the National Order of Merit
- Commandeur des Palmes académiques
- Commandeur des Arts et Lettres
Awards
- 22 March 2010 : International Translation Prize, awarded by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdelaziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- 15 December 2010 : " Doha Arab Cultural Capital " Prize
- 2019 : Muhammad Ibn Râshid Arabic Language Prize, awarded by the Emirate of Dubai
