Binet-Valmer
Encyclopedia
Jean-Auguste-Gustave Binet (June 3, 1875–April 20, 1940), also known as Binet-Valmer, was a Franco-Swiss novelist and journalist. The trademark element of his style was the almost clinical precision with which he dissected the psychologies and motivations of his characters.
Lucien was by far Binet-Valmer's most successful book in France, getting printed in no fewer than 22 editions between its first edition in 1910 and 1919. It also caused a minor scandal because of its—for the time—risqué discussion of homosexuality. Marcel Proust
's opinion of Lucien was damning—he wrote that it was the most stupid book he had ever read (le livre le plus imbécile que j'aie jamais lu). Other critics, such as Edmond Jaloux
, had a far more favorable attitude towards the book. The ending of Lucien was very unusual for the time, because instead of having Lucien commit suicide (then considered more or less the standard ending for a novel with a homosexual protagonist), in the final paragraph Binet-Valmer lets him elope to Naples
together with his boyfriend Reginald Green.
As a journalist, Binet-Valmer wrote for magazines such as Mercure de France
, Le Matin
, and Revue de Paris
. He also indirectly caused Proust to change the title of his magnum opus, In Search of Lost Time
: Initially it was called Les Intermittences du cœur, but when Proust learned that Binet-Valmer had published the novel Le Cœur en désordre (1912), the name was changed to À la recherche du temps perdu, with the former title making an appearance as a subtitle in the volume Sodome et Gomorrhe (1921/22). However, Proust later acknowledged in a letter to Jacques Boulenger, editor of L'Opinion, that "the whole press (except Binet-Valmer) deserted" him "about Sodome et Gomorrhe".
Novelist Georges Simenon
was an assistant to Binet-Valmer for a few months in late 1922 and used that encounter for episodes in two of his novels (Les Noces de Poitiers and Le Passage de la ligne).
After the 1930s, Binet-Valmer fell into relative obscurity, especially compared to his contemporary Marcel Proust whose fame has eclipsed Binet-Valmer's ever since.
Biography
Born as the son of a physician, Binet-Valmer initially also studied medicine, but later turned his attention towards writing novels and reviews. Although Binet-Valmer was not homosexual himself, several of his novels, particularly his most famous one, Lucien, deal with homosexual themes and characters.Lucien was by far Binet-Valmer's most successful book in France, getting printed in no fewer than 22 editions between its first edition in 1910 and 1919. It also caused a minor scandal because of its—for the time—risqué discussion of homosexuality. Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
's opinion of Lucien was damning—he wrote that it was the most stupid book he had ever read (le livre le plus imbécile que j'aie jamais lu). Other critics, such as Edmond Jaloux
Edmond Jaloux
Edmond Jaloux was a French novelist, essayist, and critic. His works tended to be set in Paris or his native Provence. He was interested in German Romanticism and English writers. In 1936 he joined the Académie française...
, had a far more favorable attitude towards the book. The ending of Lucien was very unusual for the time, because instead of having Lucien commit suicide (then considered more or less the standard ending for a novel with a homosexual protagonist), in the final paragraph Binet-Valmer lets him elope to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
together with his boyfriend Reginald Green.
As a journalist, Binet-Valmer wrote for magazines such as Mercure de France
Mercure de France
The Mercure de France was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group....
, Le Matin
Le Matin
Le Matin is a daily newspaper published by Edipresse in Lausanne, Switzerland. The French language tabloid has a circulation of 69,350 and a readership of 331,000.The Sunday edition Le Matin dimanche has a circulation of 207,945....
, and Revue de Paris
Revue de Paris
Revue de Paris was a French literary magazine founded in 1829 by Louis Desiré Veron....
. He also indirectly caused Proust to change the title of his magnum opus, In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past is a novel in seven volumes by Marcel Proust. His most prominent work, it is popularly known for its considerable length and the notion of involuntary memory, the most famous example being the "episode of the madeleine." The novel is widely...
: Initially it was called Les Intermittences du cœur, but when Proust learned that Binet-Valmer had published the novel Le Cœur en désordre (1912), the name was changed to À la recherche du temps perdu, with the former title making an appearance as a subtitle in the volume Sodome et Gomorrhe (1921/22). However, Proust later acknowledged in a letter to Jacques Boulenger, editor of L'Opinion, that "the whole press (except Binet-Valmer) deserted" him "about Sodome et Gomorrhe".
Novelist Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
was an assistant to Binet-Valmer for a few months in late 1922 and used that encounter for episodes in two of his novels (Les Noces de Poitiers and Le Passage de la ligne).
After the 1930s, Binet-Valmer fell into relative obscurity, especially compared to his contemporary Marcel Proust whose fame has eclipsed Binet-Valmer's ever since.
Works
- Le Sphinx de plâtre, 1900
- Les Métèques, roman de mœurs parisiennes, 1900
- Le Gamin tendre, 1901
- Lucien, Ollendorff, 1910; Flammarion, 1929
- Notre pauvre amour, 1911
- Le Cœur en désordre, 1912
- La Créature, 1913
- La Passion, 1914
- Mémoires d'un engagé volontaire, Flammarion, 1918 ; Nabu Press, 2010
- Le Mendiant magnifique, 1919
- L'Enfant qui meurt, 1921
- Les Jours sans gloire, 1922
- Le Plaisir, illustré par des bois de Paul Baudier, 1923
- Le Désordre, 1923
- Le Désir et le Péché, 1923
- Une femme a tué, 1924
- Le Sang, 1924
- Les Exaltées, 1925
- Ceux qui ne volent pas, 1926
- Un grand Français: ColignyColigny-People:* House of Coligny, sovereign of the former principality of Revermount, and its most famous members:**Gaspard I de Coligny, and his sons***Gaspard II de Coligny , Seigneur de Châtillon, admiral of France and Protestant leader, whose children included****François de Coligny, whose children...
, 1927 - Sur le sable couchées, Flammarion, 1928
- Irina l'exilée, 1928
- La Vie amoureuse de Marie Walewska, la femme polonaise de Napoléon, 1928
- La Tragédie du retour, roman de l'amour et de l'âge, 1929
- La Lumière, roman d'une cécité, 1929
- La Foire d'empoigne, roman d'une autre république, Flammarion, 1930
- La Femme qui travaille, Flammarion, 1930
- La Prostituée ingénue, 1930
- Le Jardin de l'impure, 1930
- La Luxure, 1932
- Maîtres du monde, 1933
- Le Regard, 1934
- Bathilde et l'Assassin, 1935
- Sarah BernhardtSarah BernhardtSarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
, 1936 - Le Fumier, 1936
- La Princesse nue, Fayard, 1937
- L'Héritage, 1938
- Les Esprits de ténèbres, 1940