Bonnard, André

Born Apr. 16, 1888, in Lausanne; died there 1959. Swiss philologist-hellenist and public figure. Professor at the University of Lausanne (1938–59).

Bonnard wrote many works on the history of culture and literature in ancient Greece: The Gods of Greece (1950), The Poetry of Sappho (1948), Tragedy and Man (1950), and others. He lectured on Soviet literature at the University of Lausanne (1948). He published the article Toward a New Humanism: Reflections on Soviet Literature, 1917–1947 (1948) and other works. In 1952 he created a people’s university, in Lausanne, where he lectured on literature, art, and general history. He headed the Swiss Committee of the Defenders of Peace and participated in the work of the International Congresses of the Defenders of Peace in Paris (1949) and Warsaw (1950). He was a member of the World Council of Peace (after 1950). He was laureate of the International Lenin Prize for Strengthening Peace Between Nations (1954).