Jean-Pierre Marie Herve-Bazin; French Novelist

Jean-Pierre Marie Herve-Bazin, 84, the novelist and overseer of France’s top literary prize. Called Herve Bazin, the writer was known for his acid novels about youthful rebellion inspired by his own experiences. His first novel, “A Viper in the Fist,” published in 1948, became his best-known work. His other books included “Death of the Little Horse” and “Head Against the Wall,” which was based on his stay in a psychiatric hospital for amnesia. His last book was “The Ninth Day,” published two years ago. For the past two decades, he had been president of the Goncourt Academy, which awards France’s top literary prize. Although Herve-Bazin’s works were translated into 26 languages and attracted 25 million readers, he never won the Goncourt prize. On Saturday in Angers, France, after a stroke.