Caroline Rémy de Guebhard
Encyclopedia
Caroline Rémy de Guebhard (April 27, 1855, Paris
— April 24, 1929, was a French
socialist
, journalist, and feminist
best known under the pen name
Séverine.
Around 1880 Caroline Rémy became involved with Jules Vallès
' socialist publication, Cri du Peuple. Vallès eventually gave her control over the newspaper due to his poor health. A growing militant in her views, she became friends with fellow journalist and feminist, Marguerite Durand
but following a confrontation with the Marxist
Jules Guesde
she left the newspaper in 1888. She continued writing for other papers in which she promoted women's emancipation and denounced social injustices of all kinds including the Dreyfus Affair
. In 1897, she began writing for Durand's feminist daily newspaper La Fronde.
A staunch leftist, Rémy backed some of the anarchist
causes including the defense of Germaine Berton and participated in the 1927 efforts to save Sacco and Vanzetti
. She supported the Russian Revolution of 1917
and in 1921 she joined the French Communist Party
; however, only a few years later, she quit the party in order to maintain her membership in the Ligue des droits de l'homme.
Bernard Lecache, a founding member of the Committee of Honor of International League Against Anti-Semitism
(LICA), (now International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA)), wrote her biography. Her portrait was painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
in 1885 and now hangs in the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C.
.
Caroline Rémy died in 1929 at the residence for female journalists in Pierrefonds
, Oise
département in the Picardie
region of France. Some of her papers can be found in the Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand
in Paris
.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
— April 24, 1929, was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, journalist, and feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
best known under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Séverine.
Jules Vallès
Jules Vallès was a French journalist and author.-Early life:Vallès was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire. His father was a supervisor of studies , later a teacher, and unfaithful to Jules' mother. Jules was a brilliant student...
' socialist publication, Cri du Peuple. Vallès eventually gave her control over the newspaper due to his poor health. A growing militant in her views, she became friends with fellow journalist and feminist, Marguerite Durand
Marguerite Durand
Marguerite Durand was a French stage actress, journalist, and a leading suffragette.-Biography:Born into a middle-class family, Marguerite Durand was sent to study at a Roman Catholic convent...
but following a confrontation with the Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
Jules Guesde
Jules Guesde
Jules Basile Guesde was a French socialist journalist and politician.Guesde was the inspiration for a famous quotation by Karl Marx. Shortly before Marx died in 1883, he wrote a letter to Guesde and Paul Lafargue, both of whom already claimed to represent "Marxist" principles...
she left the newspaper in 1888. She continued writing for other papers in which she promoted women's emancipation and denounced social injustices of all kinds including the Dreyfus Affair
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
. In 1897, she began writing for Durand's feminist daily newspaper La Fronde.
A staunch leftist, Rémy backed some of the anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
causes including the defense of Germaine Berton and participated in the 1927 efforts to save Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
. She supported the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
and in 1921 she joined the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
; however, only a few years later, she quit the party in order to maintain her membership in the Ligue des droits de l'homme.
Bernard Lecache, a founding member of the Committee of Honor of International League Against Anti-Semitism
Licá
Luís Carlos Pereira Carneiro , aka Licá, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for G.D. Estoril Praia as a forward.-Football career:...
(LICA), (now International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA)), wrote her biography. Her portrait was painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
in 1885 and now hangs in the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Caroline Rémy died in 1929 at the residence for female journalists in Pierrefonds
Pierrefonds, Oise
Pierrefonds is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-References:*...
, Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département in the Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
region of France. Some of her papers can be found in the Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand
Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand
The Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand is a specialized public library run by the municipal library system of the French city of Paris. Created from a massive collection started in 1897 by journalist and activist Marguerite Durand, the Library opened in 1931 at 79 rue Nationale in Paris. It holds a...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
External links
- Caroline Remy Page from the Anarchist Encyclopedia