Henri Ner was born in
Ghazaouet, in
French Algeria, on 7 December 1861. After graduating from university, Ner began a career as a teacher, lecturing at secondary schools throughout
Provence. He also became a
Freemason, serving as Orator of the masonic lodge in
Gap from 1884 to 1888. He later movied to Paris, where he taught at
Lycée Charlemagne and
Louis-le-Grand. He became involved in socialist activism during the 1890s, publishing a manifesto in 1892 which called for bread to be brought under
social ownership, and establishing a teachers' union in 1896. He adopted the
pen name of Han Ryner in 1898, and began writing fiction. Over the course of his life, he wrote over 50 novels, plays and short stories, which gained a popular following in revolutionary circles. His first novel,
Le Crime d’obéir (1900), was about a
concientious objector and expressed an
individualist philosophy that opposed all forms of
coercion. He also contributed thousands of articles to anarchist and pacifist publications. As
editor-in-chief of the newspaper
Demain, Ryner became involved in the
Dreyfus Affair. In 1900, he contributed to anarchist publications edited by
Augustin Hamon,
Émile Janvion and
Francis Jourdain, and the following year, wrote a series of literary criticisms. From 1903 to 1907, Ryner lectured on individualist philosophy at the
popular university in
Saint-Antoine; and from 1905 to 1914, he contributed to various publications by
Émile Armand. In 1913, he publicly defended
Eugène Dieudonné, who had been implicated in the crimes of the
Bonnot Gang. During this time, he was subjected to a
conspiracy of silence in the mainstream literary press, who shunned him due to his harsh criticisms of high-profile literary figures such as
Gabriele D'Annunzio,
Friedrich Nietzsche and
Émile Zola. This lasted until 1912, when a group of young literary scholars defended him in a public vote in ''
L'Intransigeant. He was then finally able to publish a science fiction novel, Les Pacifiques'' (1914), which had been rejected by publishers over the previous decade. The book depicted a harmonious anarchist society, which had been brought about by a movement of
nonviolent resistance. He was sometimes criticised by anarchists for his pacifist leanings. During
World War I, he maintained his pacifism and anti-militarism. He contributed articles to Armand's publications in 1915 and to those of
Sébastien Faure in 1916 and 1917. He also promoted pacifism in the journals of
Édouard Dujardin and
Maurice Wullens. Ryner formed part of an inter-war pacifist camp, along with
Romain Rolland,
Jean Giono and
Stefan Zweig. From 1920 to 1922, Ryner wrote a weekly column for ''
in which he defended conscientious objectors and political prisoners, and protested against political repression in Italy, Hungary and the Soviet Union. His activism contributed to the release of Armand from prison and raised awareness of Sacco and Vanzetti. During the 1920s, he contributed to Spanish and Latin American anarchist periodicals, as well as the French anarchist magazine Le Libertaire'' and Faure's Anarchist Encyclopedia. He also supported the establishment of
naturist colonies and experiments in
libertarian education. He continued writing fiction later into his life, such as
La Vie éternelle (1927) and
LÉglise devant ses juges (1937), which respectively posited the existence of
reincarnation and condemened the Christian clergy. He remained among the most respected figures of the French anarchist movement during the inter-war period. Ryner died in Paris, on 6 January 1938, and his body was buried in the
Thiais Cemetery. His daughter Georgette established the Societ of Friends of Han Ryner, which perpetuated his memory for 40 years and published 180 issues of its official publication. ==Writings==