His inspirations included traditional German culture, Catholicism and the philosophies of Gaston Bachelard.

[1] Born in France of parents who met at the Sorbonne while studying German, Tournier spent his youth in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

He wished to teach philosophy at high-school but, like his father, failed to obtain the French agrégation.

Tournier joined Radio France as a journalist and translator and hosted L'heure de la culture française.

He co-founded in 1970, with the Arles photographer Lucien Clergue and the historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette, the Rencontres d'Arles.