French pediatrician Aldo Naouri has died at the age of 88. A renowned physician, prolific author, and prominent media figure in the debate surrounding childhood, he influenced several generations of parents with his stances on education, the child's place in the family, and family relationships. Throughout his career, Aldo Naouri established himself as one of the best-known French pediatricians among the general public. His frequently discussed books fueled debates surrounding parental authority, the role of the father, and the psychological development of the child.
From Benghazi to Paris, a journey marked by exile
Aldo Naouri was born in Benghazi, in what was then Italian Libya, shortly before the Second World War. The tenth child of a mother widowed at 34, he experienced the upheavals of history at a very young age. In 1942, his family was expelled because of their French nationality and settled in Algeria. After completing his baccalaureate, Aldo Naouri left Algeria to study medicine in Besançon, then in Paris. His family, like many French citizens of Algeria, then moved to mainland France in 1962.
A Parisian law firm that became a place for observing the family
Graduating in 1966, Aldo Naouri opened his pediatric practice in the 13th arrondissement of Paris that same year. He practiced there for over thirty years, until his retirement in 2002. His medical work was not limited to the care of children. It fostered a broader reflection on the family, the bonds between parents and children, and the doctor-patient relationship. Deeply influenced by psychology and psychoanalysis, he was particularly interested in Lacanian psychoanalysis, which he at one time considered a distinct specialty.
Books that have fueled the educational debate
Aldo Naouri is the author of numerous works devoted to childhood, education, and family dynamics. Among his notable books are *Les belles-mères, les beaux-pères, leurs brus et leurs gendres* (Stepmothers, Stepfathers, Their Daughters-in-Law and Sons-in-Law), published in 2011, and *Faut-il être plus sévère avec nos enfants?* (Should We Be More Strict with Our Children?), co-authored with Edwige Antier in 2008. His often strong opinions regularly sparked discussions and controversies. He advocated a demanding vision of parenthood, placing great importance on setting limits, the transmission of values, and the structuring of the child by their family environment.
A family also linked to the world of arts
Aldo Naouri was the father of novelist Agnès Desarthe, opera director Elsa Rooke, and opera singer Laurent Naouri, husband of soprano Natalie Dessay. With his passing, French pediatrics loses a singular figure, a practitioner, essayist, and passionate observer of the transformations of the contemporary family.
