Swiss · 1895–1981
Greek-born Swiss novelist who wrote epic comic fiction about Jewish life and love. Born in Corfu, raised in Marseille, educated in Geneva, Cohen worked for decades in international organizations while writing sprawling novels. Belle du Seigneur, his masterpiece, took seventeen years and tells of an adulterous affair with Rabelaisian excess and operatic emotion. The prose torrents forward, mixing satire of diplomats with rhapsody over beauty. He won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française. His reputation rests on a single massive achievement.