Marcel André Aymé was born inJoigny, in theBurgundy region of France, the youngest of six children. His father, Joseph, was ablacksmith, and his mother, Emma Monamy, died when he was two years old, after the family had moved toTours.[3] Marcel was sent to live with his maternal grandparents in the village ofVillers-Robert, a place where he would spend the next eight years, and which would serve as the model for the fictitious village of Claquebue in what is perhaps the most well-known of his novels,La Jument verte. In 1906 Marcel entered the local primary school. Because his grandfather was a staunchanti-clericalrepublican, he was looked down upon by his classmates, many of whose parents held more traditional views. Accordingly, Marcel was notbaptized before reaching the age of eight, nearly two years after the death of his grandfather in 1908. Orphaned once more when his grandmother died two years later, he briefly lived with other family members before moving toDole, a small town of theFranche-Comte region, to stay with an aunt and attend the Collège de l'Arc, where he demonstrated more ability in mathematics than in literature. His years at school there were an unpleasant experience he would never look back on fondly.[4][5][6]
Despite ongoing issues with his health that had begun when he was a child, Aymé was able to perform his military service, which began in 1919, as part of anartillery unit inthe occupied Rhineland. In 1923 he moved to Paris where he worked unsuccessfully at a bank, an insurance company, and as a journalist. Though he failed in his career as a reporter, his stint at the newspaper allowed him to discover his love of writing.[4][5][7]
His first published novel wasBrûlebois (1926), and in 1929 hisLa Table aux crevés won thePrix Renaudot. After the great success of his novelLa Jument verte (1933), translated into English asThe Green Mare, he concentrated mostly on writing and publishing children's stories, novels, and collections of stories. In 1935 he also started writing movie scripts. In theatre, Marcel Aymé found success with his playsLucienne et le boucher, Clérambard (1949), a farce, andTête des autres (1952), which criticized the death penalty.
One of Aymé's most famous short stories isLe passe-muraille or "The Walker-Through-Walls". At the age of 42, Dutilleul suddenly discovers that he has "the remarkable gift of being able to pass through walls with perfect ease". What begins as a novelty that gives him pleasure ends up pushing Dutilleul toward ever more sinister pursuits.
Visitors to Paris can see a monument in his honour at Place Marcel-Aymé, in the Montmartre Quarter. The statue is based on his short story "Le passe-muraille" ("The Walker through Walls").
1932Le Puits aux images (contains, in addition to the title story, "La Retraite de Russie," "Les Mauvaises Fièvres," "Noblesse," "A et B," "Pastorale," "Les Clochards," "L'Individu," "Au clair de la lune," "La Lanterne," "Enfants perdus")
1934Le Nain (contains, in addition to the title story, "La Canne," "La Liste," "Deux victimes," "Rue Saint-Sulpice," "Bonne vie et mœurs," "L'Affaire Touffard," "Le Mariage de César," "Trois faits divers," "L'Armure," "Sporting," "La Clé sous le paillasson," "Le Dernier")
1938Derrière chez Martin (contains "Le Romancier Martin," "Je suis renvoyé," "L'Élève Martin," "Le Temps mort," Le Cocu nombreux," "L'Âme de Martin," "Rue de l'Évangile," "Conte de Noël," "La Statue")
1943Le Passe-muraille (contains, in addition to the title story, "Les Sabines," "La Carte," "Le Décret," "Le Proverbe," "Légende poldève," "Le Percepteur d'épouses," "Les Bottes de sept lieues," "L'Huissier," "En attendant")
1947Le Vin de Paris (contains, in addition to the title story, "L’Indifférent," "La Traversée de Paris," "La Grâce," "Dermuche," "La Fosse aux péchés," "Le Faux Policier," "La Bonne Peinture")
1950Les Bottes de sept lieues
1950En arrière (contains, in addition to the title story, "Oscar et Erick," "Fiançailles," "Rechute," "Avenue Junot," "Les Chiens de notre vie," "Conte du milieu," "Josse," "La Vamp et le Normalien," "Le Mendiant")
1967Enjambées (first posthumous collection contains seven stories, all of which appeared earlier except for "La Fabrique")
1961The Proverb and Other Stories (contains, in addition to the title story, "Three News Items," "Knate," "The Retreat from Moscow," "Josse," "Backwards," "The Boy Martin," "The Life-Ration," "The Bogus Policeman," "Couldn't-Care-Less," "La Bonne Peinture," "The Last")
1972The Walker-through-walls and Other Stories
2012The Man Who Walked through Walls (contains, in addition to the title story, "Sabine Women," "Tickets on Time," "The Problem of Summertime," "The Proverb," "Poldevian Legend," "The Wife Collector," "The Seven-League Boots," "The Bailiff," "While Waiting")
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