André Maman, professor of Romance languages and literatures, emeritus, died April 13, 2018
6 thoughts on “André Maman”
Marina Brownlee
I’ve been teaching at Princeton since 2002, but I had the pleasure of interacting with Professor Maman most when I was a Romance Languages grad student in the mid 1970s. He was so distinguished, knowledgeable, and charming
I feel very fortunate to have known him.
(And I also remember Teddy, his adorable dog, who would on occasion grace East Pyne with his presence.)
George L. Bustin '70
Andre Maman was one of Princeton’s best educators — a teacher first and foremost, and at the same time a committed member of his national community (which he served as a senator) and of the larger Princeton community. As a personality, he was larger than life — warm, welcoming, cultivated, bursting with joie de vivre. During his tenure the Dept. of Romance Languages was one of the liveliest on campus. I thoroughly enjoyed the several courses I took that he taught, in French language and in literature. He was demanding of his students and full of insights. He treated his students like family. He will be greatly missed.
Nathaniel McVey-Finney
When I was a fifteen-year-old high school junior at Princeton High School in the Fall of 1984, I had the opportunity to take French 207 at Princeton with Monsieur Maman. I, along with 2 of my high school classmates, had successfully completed AP French in 10th grade, and were, therefore, granted this privilege, based on our academic record and language abilities. I knew nothing of Monsieur Maman, but he is someone who I have never forgotten. As a senior in high school the following year, I took his French 213 course on French culture. I loved his energy and enthusiasm, not to mention what I learned in his classes. He made me feel welcome, he wrote me a recommendation letter for college, and he pulled my ear and playfully chided me in his office for not doing my homework one time, when I was dropping off my letter of recommendation requests. He was larger than life and a special man.
John Parfitt
I loved taking French 207 with him. A wonderful warm person and a brilliant teacher.
John Parfitt ’64
John Parfitt
my favorite Princeton class. Merci mille fois monsieur le prof
Richard Fried
Professor Maman presented me with my greatest educational challenge at Princeton.
Having taken five years of Latin in high school and done well at it, I looked forward to taking two years of French in college. However, I found it was one thing to be proficient in a “dead” language and quite another to attempt to be proficient in a live one.
As has been well described above, Professor Maman was indeed larger than life. And, for me, he was much larger than my life, which seemed in mortal peril, while in his class, as I sought to meet his rigorous standard of fluency in spoken French.
Despite my best and desperate (at times) efforts to rise to the occasion, I apparently failed to make the grade even with his persistent and patient coaching. One day, well into the course, Professor Maman definitively concluded I was beyond the pedagogical pale when he halted class and addressed me in pronounced, declarative English: “Monsieur Fried, you speak French like a Scandinavian; you hurt my ears; to the language lab with you for a month!” And, off I went.
Needless to say, the intensive language lab sessions were just what the doctor ordered. At the end of my banishment, I returned to his class much improved (but not proficient by a country mile), and I completed the balance of my French studies.
As much as I enjoyed my other classes and professors at Princeton, none made as much of an enduring impression on me as did Professor Maman. He was a force of nature.
I’ve been teaching at Princeton since 2002, but I had the pleasure of interacting with Professor Maman most when I was a Romance Languages grad student in the mid 1970s. He was so distinguished, knowledgeable, and charming
I feel very fortunate to have known him.
(And I also remember Teddy, his adorable dog, who would on occasion grace East Pyne with his presence.)
Andre Maman was one of Princeton’s best educators — a teacher first and foremost, and at the same time a committed member of his national community (which he served as a senator) and of the larger Princeton community. As a personality, he was larger than life — warm, welcoming, cultivated, bursting with joie de vivre. During his tenure the Dept. of Romance Languages was one of the liveliest on campus. I thoroughly enjoyed the several courses I took that he taught, in French language and in literature. He was demanding of his students and full of insights. He treated his students like family. He will be greatly missed.
When I was a fifteen-year-old high school junior at Princeton High School in the Fall of 1984, I had the opportunity to take French 207 at Princeton with Monsieur Maman. I, along with 2 of my high school classmates, had successfully completed AP French in 10th grade, and were, therefore, granted this privilege, based on our academic record and language abilities. I knew nothing of Monsieur Maman, but he is someone who I have never forgotten. As a senior in high school the following year, I took his French 213 course on French culture. I loved his energy and enthusiasm, not to mention what I learned in his classes. He made me feel welcome, he wrote me a recommendation letter for college, and he pulled my ear and playfully chided me in his office for not doing my homework one time, when I was dropping off my letter of recommendation requests. He was larger than life and a special man.
I loved taking French 207 with him. A wonderful warm person and a brilliant teacher.
John Parfitt ’64
my favorite Princeton class. Merci mille fois monsieur le prof
Professor Maman presented me with my greatest educational challenge at Princeton.
Having taken five years of Latin in high school and done well at it, I looked forward to taking two years of French in college. However, I found it was one thing to be proficient in a “dead” language and quite another to attempt to be proficient in a live one.
As has been well described above, Professor Maman was indeed larger than life. And, for me, he was much larger than my life, which seemed in mortal peril, while in his class, as I sought to meet his rigorous standard of fluency in spoken French.
Despite my best and desperate (at times) efforts to rise to the occasion, I apparently failed to make the grade even with his persistent and patient coaching. One day, well into the course, Professor Maman definitively concluded I was beyond the pedagogical pale when he halted class and addressed me in pronounced, declarative English: “Monsieur Fried, you speak French like a Scandinavian; you hurt my ears; to the language lab with you for a month!” And, off I went.
Needless to say, the intensive language lab sessions were just what the doctor ordered. At the end of my banishment, I returned to his class much improved (but not proficient by a country mile), and I completed the balance of my French studies.
As much as I enjoyed my other classes and professors at Princeton, none made as much of an enduring impression on me as did Professor Maman. He was a force of nature.