Novel about a dying man able to travel through time in his ancestors' bodies during his near-death experience

Question

I'm looking for a novel read before 1992, so probably written in the 80s.

Here are the elements I remember:

• The main character is dying, and the plot follows him nearing death. Overall it may have read as a near-death experience of sorts.
• The setting is Earth, current world and history (no dystopia, and no major variation on the course of history as a whole.)
• As he is dying, 'present' time slows down, and he is able to travel through time in his ancestors bodies, with whom he shares DNA, so kind of a form of reincarnation. The ancestors do not realize they are 'occupied'.
• He encounters his female lover time and again, and they are at least able to swap bodies once (I think because of some common ancester.)
• The time periods he travels in range from antiquity to current time. One of the scenes is set during the French revolution. The plot may have been centered around their romance.
• Some of the bodies/persons he occupies may have been famous.
• I think it was a standalone novel
• I read it in French, but I think it was from an American author.

The closest plot I have found described here is: Novel about reincarnated lovers across history. The author of the question has not confirmed the answer.

I've discarded:

• "My name is Memory", because it's too recent
• "Replay" (the character doesn't relive his own life, and the plot spans History)
• "Redshift" (no French revolution)
• "Daggerspell" (no magic in the book)

Answer 1

The name of the book is Memories by Mike Mcquay. Mémoire in French at the livre de poche. Hope this helps ;)

David Wolf is an embittered psychiatrist on the verge of an unimaginable journey. From one hundred decades in the future a woman called Silv arrives to seek David's help. One of Silv's murderous soldiers has traveled to the distant past of Napoleon's era and now has the power to manipulate the future. David and Silv must embark on an awesome quest to bring this man under control - before the very fabric of reality is torn to shreds.
Memories is a sweeping, multi-layered odyssey filled with stunning imagery, breathtaking intensity and high drama.

Un voyage dans le temps peut être aussi un voyage dans la mémoire. La mémoire des autres, la mémoire des siècles passés.
Projetés d'un avenir inconcevablement éloigné, Hersh le soldat et Silv la savante tourbillonnent dans le temps, errant d'un corps à l'autre. Hersh est un guerrier fou. Y a-t-il pour lui destin plus attirant que celui de Bonaparte ?
Mais s'il allait changer l'histoire ?
David Wolf, psychiatre du XX e siècle, saura-t-il, comme Silv l'espère, ramener Hersh à la raison ? Et à son époque ?