Pierre Bec

Pierre Bec (Occitan: Pèire Bèc; 11 December 1921 – 30 June 2014) was a French poet and linguist of the Occitan language. He was one of the founders of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans (Institute for Occitan studies, IEO). He was also its president as well from 1962 to 1980.

Bec's literature works were Petite anthologie de la lyrique occitane du Moyen Âge (1954), Les saluts d'amour du troubadour Arnaud de Mareuil (1961), La langue occitane (1963) and Raconte d’una mort tranquilla (1993). Meanwhile, his linguistics works included Manuel pratique d'occitan moderne (1973–1983) and Les Interférences linguistiques entre gascon et languedocien dans les parlers du Comminges et du Couserans (1968).

Bec was born in Paris. He spent his childhood in Comminges, where he learnt Occitan. He was deported to Germany between 1943 and 1945. After returning, he studied in Paris, where he graduated in 1959.

Bec died on 30 June 2014 in Poitiers, aged 92.