Jean-François Revel

French philosopher and political commentator. He was a member of the resistance in WW II. Professor and literary advisor for Juilliard publishing, 1960 and of Robert Laffont publishing, 1965, Revel was founder and director of the Libretés collection at J.J. Pauvert publishing. A columnist, 1966-78, he was Director of l’Express newspaper 1978-81. He is the author of "How Democracies Perish," 1985, "Without Marx or Jesus; the new American Revolution has Begun," 1971, "Culture and Cuisine: A Journey Through the History of Food," 1982, "The French," 1966, "The Totalitarian Temptation," 1977 and "The Flight From Truth: The Reign of Deceit in the Information Age," 1991. Revel was elected to the French Academy on 19 June 1997.

Revel married Yahne Letoumelin on 26 July 1945; they divorced on 26 April 1966; two children. He made a second marriage on 7 July 1967, to author Claude Sarraute; one child.

Revel's son, Matthieu Ricard (his pen name) surprised him as a youth by turning from molecular biology to Tibetan Buddhism. The relationship between father and son with their contrasting life-views is the subject of a book, "The Monk and the Philosopher." Revel's first visit to Darjeeling, India, in 1973 convinced him that his son was engaged in serious study. He returned to France and wrote about the Chinese attempt to stamp out Tibetan Buddhism by torturing and killing monks and destroying some 6,000 monasteries. An agnostic, known for the sharp sarcasm of his tongue, Revel and his son never really discussed their contrasting philosophies until, in the spring of 1996, they agreed to the project of a book. They met at an inn in the mountains overlooking Katmandu and talked for weeks.

Revel asked most of the questions: What is consciousness? Why is there suffering" Is there life after death? Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? Though they disagreed on some points, such as reincarnation, their dialogue was rich with the exploration of meanings.