Background
He was born in Montpellier and died in Paris at the age of 95. He was the son of Louis Séchan and brother of Edmond. His father Louis Séchan was a professor at the Sorbonne.
His mother Isabelle Bost was the granddaughter of a Protestant pastor.
He was born in Montpellier where he spent the first twenty years of his life.
Career
Moving to Paris, he taught German in the 1930s. In 1939, he published his first novel Les eaux mortes which was considered "too American". Several of his novels are set in the Cevennes region.
During World World War II, he ran for a while the collaborationist radio station Radio Paris.
He became a director at the publishing firm Hachette. He began writing children"s books that were published in the famous Bibliothèque rose and Bibliothèque verte series.
He created the recurring characters Luc and Martine, and translated many of the Jennings novels of Anthony Buckeridge. His work for young readers proved very popular.
Séchan spoke fluent English, German and Dutch.