Noëlle Roger


Noëlle Roger, the pen name of Hélène Pittard, was a Swiss author writing in French.

Biography

The daughter of, a Swiss jurist, and Léonie Bordier, she was born Hélène Dufour in Geneva. Her maternal grandfather was, a French historian. In her youth, she showed talent for both poetry and painting, eventually choosing to focus on writing.
Her first novel Larmes d'enfant was published in 1896. Her pen name was derived from the two names of brothers: reversing Léon gave Noëlle and Roger was used as is. She apprenticed as a journalist in London. Then, in 1900, she married the anthropologist Eugène Pittard. Her travels with her husband to various places inspired:
During World War I, she trained as a nurse and looked after wounded French soldiers at a hospital in Lyon. She published some novels inspired by her experiences during the war and then produced a number of works of speculative fiction including:Le nouveau Déluge Le nouvel Adam, translated into English as The New Adam Celui qui voit Le soleil enseveli Le chercheur d'ondes Le nouveau Lazare
She also produced biographies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Germaine de Staël and Henry Dunant, as well as plays for the theatre and for radio.
Works for children included:L'Enfant cet inconnu Peau d'éléphant
In 1948, she received a medal from the Académie française for her work.
She died in Geneva at the age of 78.