19 moments

1. Birth in Pointe-à-Pitre

   1887-05-31 · Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France

   

   Alexis Léger, later known as Saint-John Perse, was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. Coordinates represent Pointe-à-Pitre city center.

2. Family relocation to Pau

   1899-01-01 · Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France

   The Léger family returned from Guadeloupe to metropolitan France and settled in Pau, where Alexis Léger continued his education and adolescence. Coordinates represent Pau city center.

3. Studies in Bordeaux

   1906-01-01 · Bordeaux, Gironde, France

   After military service, Léger studied philosophy and law in Bordeaux, an important stage in his pre-diplomatic life. Coordinates represent Bordeaux city center; the specific institution is not identified in the quoted chronology.

4. French legation service in Beijing

   1916-01-01 · Beijing, China

   Léger began his China posting as a secretary of the French legation in Beijing, where he started writing Anabasis. Coordinates represent Beijing because the former Taoist temple is not precisely identified.

5. Journey in Outer Mongolia and the Gobi

   1920-01-01 · Gobi Desert, Mongolia

   While posted in China, Léger travelled with sinologist Gustave-Charles Toussaint in Outer Mongolia and the Gobi Desert. The source names a journey across a broad region; coordinates are a representative point in the Mongolian Gobi.

6. Washington arms-control conference

   1921-01-01 · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

   Léger attended the Washington naval-disarmament conference as a China specialist in the French delegation; Aristide Briand noticed and recruited him there. Coordinates represent Washington city center; the conference venue is not specified in the quoted source.

7. Secretary-General at the Quai d'Orsay

   1932-01-01 · Quai d'Orsay, Paris, France

   

   After Aristide Briand's death, Léger became secretary-general of the French Foreign Office, a position he held until 1940. Coordinates represent the Quai d'Orsay ministry complex.

8. Meeting with Ambassador Bullitt during the Danzig crisis

   1939-01-01 · Paris, France

   During the prewar Danzig crisis, Léger met William C. Bullitt Jr., the American ambassador in Paris, to discuss intelligence concerning German-Japanese plans. The source establishes the meeting in Paris but does not identify its venue.

9. Exile route through London

   1940-01-01 · London, England, United Kingdom

   After his dismissal, Léger began exile for the United States via London, where he met Winston Churchill. The source supports the year and city but not a specific London venue.

10. Burning Foreign Office records

    1940-05-16 · Quai d'Orsay, Paris, France

    After the German breakthrough at Sedan threw Paris into panic, Léger supervised the destruction of Quai d'Orsay records in the ministry garden. Coordinates represent the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Quai d'Orsay.

11. Beginning of Washington exile

    1940-07-01 · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    Léger began the long American exile that followed his removal from the French Foreign Office. Coordinates represent Washington city center.

12. Residence in Georgetown

    1941-01-01 · Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    After the Long Beach Island stay, Léger moved to Georgetown in Washington during his American exile. Coordinates represent the Georgetown neighborhood; the residence address is not specified.

13. Writing Exile on Long Beach Island

    1941-01-01 · Long Beach Island, New Jersey, United States

    During the summer, Léger stayed at the Biddles' beach home on Long Beach Island and wrote Exile. Coordinates represent Long Beach Island; the Biddles' specific house is not identified.

14. Writing Vents on Seven Hundred Acre Island

    1945-01-01 · Seven Hundred Acre Island, Islesboro, Maine, United States

    Following a journey through the American West, Léger wrote the long poem Vents during the summer on Seven Hundred Acre Island off Maine. Coordinates represent Seven Hundred Acre Island in Penobscot Bay.

15. Meeting Dag Hammarskjöld in New York

    1955-11-30 · New York City, New York, United States

    Léger first met United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in New York and presented him with a copy of his poetry. The meeting venue in New York is not identified in the quoted source.

16. Return and settlement at Giens

    1957-05-01 · Giens Peninsula, Hyères, France

    Léger made his first return to France after exile and began dividing the year between the United States and his home at Les Vigneaux on the Giens Peninsula. Coordinates represent the Giens Peninsula; Les Vigneaux is not precisely geolocated in the source.

17. Nobel Prize ceremony

    1960-12-10 · Stockholm, Sweden

    

    Saint-John Perse received the Nobel Prize in Literature in Stockholm and delivered the address later published as Poésie. Coordinates represent central Stockholm; the quoted source does not specify the ceremony venue.

18. Cruise around the Aeolian Islands

    1967-01-01 · Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy

    During the final year of the Legers' annual Mediterranean cruises aboard the yacht Aspara, he kept a notebook around the Aeolian Islands. Coordinates represent the central Aeolian Islands; the yacht's route and positions are not specified.

19. Death at his Giens villa

    1975-09-20 · Giens Peninsula, Hyères, France

    

    Saint-John Perse died at his villa on the Giens Peninsula, where he had settled after his return to France. Coordinates represent the Giens Peninsula because the villa's exact location is not provided.