Brian O’Nolan the Irish novelist, playwright and humorist. His two classic novels At Swim-Two-Birds (1939) and The Third Policeman (1968) were published under the pseudonym Flann O’Brien. For over 25 years, as Myles na gCopaleen, he contributed a column, “The Cruiskeen Lawn” to The Irish Times. It was in this column that some of his funniest and most savage writing appeared. O’Nolan died in Montmorillon in 1966.
Max Ernst born 1891 was a key figure in the Dada and Surrealist movements. Explaining how he became a Surrealist Ernst told the story of his father, a Sunday painter who painted the view from their kitchen window. In the centre of the view (and the picture) was a tree. Ernst senior decided the tree unbalanced his painting so he painted it out of the picture. He then went into the garden and cut down the tree! Ernst died in Montmorillon in 1976.