J'étais médecin avec les chars, a memoir published in 1943, chronicles André Soubiran’s experience during the Battle of France and secured him the Prix Renaudot. This work marked the synthesis of his dual vocations as a medical practitioner and a novelist, reflecting a career spanning the mid-twentieth century until his death in 1999.
Medical Training and Early Service
Born in Paris in 1910, Soubiran pursued formal medical education at the University of Toulouse and the Paris Medical Faculty. He completed his doctorate in 1935, qualifying him for professional practice. His early career intersected with the period of the 1939–1945 conflict, during which he served as a physician, an effort that earned him the Croix de guerre.
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Soubiran achieved significant commercial success with his multi-volume literary series, Les hommes en blanc, published between 1947 and 1958. The first two installments surpassed 1.5 million copies in sales. This series reached an international audience through English translations titled The Doctors, The Healing Oath, and Good-bye, Doctor Roch. In 1955, the narrative was adapted into a feature film directed by Ralph Habib.
Themes of Clinical Literature
Beyond his popular series, Soubiran addressed complex social and medical issues through his writing. He published L'île aux fous in 1955, translated as Bedlam, and explored the controversial topic of illegal abortion in his 1964 work, Journal d'une femme en blanc. This latter text served as the basis for a 1965 film directed by Claude Autant-Lara. Additionally, he provided the preface for Denise Legrix’s autobiography, Née comme ça.
Fast facts
- Born: 1910, Paris
- Died: 1999, Paris
- Education: University of Toulouse and Paris Medical Faculty
- Primary award: Prix Renaudot (1943)
- Military decoration: Croix de guerre 1939–1945
- Famous series: Les hommes en blanc
- Burial site: Gimont
Questions readers ask
What is André Soubiran's most recognized literary series?
His most successful series was Les hommes en blanc, which was published between 1947 and 1958 and sold over 1.5 million copies in its first two volumes.
Did André Soubiran write about abortion?
Yes, he addressed the subject of illegal abortion in his 1964 book, Journal d'une femme en blanc, which was later adapted into a 1965 film.
Achievements
- Fields: belletristic literature and medicine
