Léon-François Hoffmann, professor emeritus of French and Italian at Princeton, died May 25, 2018, at age 86.
Born in Paris in 1932, Hoffmann and his family fled to Cuba to escape the Nazis in World War II. After graduating from Yale in 1953, Hoffmann earned a master’s degree in 1955 and a Ph.D. in 1959 from Princeton. He joined the Princeton faculty in 1956, became an assistant professor in 1960, and transferred to emeritus status in 2003.
Hoffmann specialized in 19th-century French literature and Caribbean literature in French. He also taught seminars on French language, literature, and culture in former French colonial territories. He was the author of several books; one was awarded a prize by the Académie Français. He also received the prestigious Palmes Académiques from the French government.
Thomas Trezise, professor of French and Italian and department chair, said, “François Hoffmann was a central figure in French studies at Princeton for many years,” and above all, he “drew our attention to Haitian history and culture.”
Hoffmann is survived by his wife, Anne; and two sons. One son stated, “My father transmitted to his children an unshakable ethic of racial equality and social justice.” The University flag was flown at half-staff in his memory.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.