Hélène Mouchard-Zay, a French academic and writer, died on March 2, 2026, at age 85.
Born in Rabat on August 27, 1940, she was the daughter of Madeleine and Jean Zay. Her father was imprisoned by the Vichy regime and murdered in 1944.
Mouchard-Zay earned an Agrégation de Lettres classiques and worked as a secondary schoolteacher before joining the University of Orléans as a professor. From 1989 to 2001, she also took part in municipal politics in Orléans, serving on the municipal council. She was married to poet Claude Mouchard, and they had two sons, Jean and Daniel.
Hélène Jacqueline Élisabeth Mouchard-Zay (French: [elˈɛn ʒaklˈin ɪlˈɪse͡ɪbəθ muʃˈaʁ-zˈɛ]; 27 August 1940 – 2 March 2026) was a French academic and writer.