Fortune du Boisgobey
Encyclopedia
Fortuné Hippolyte Auguste Castille (September 11, 1821 – February 26, 1891), under the nom de plume Fortuné du Boisgobey, was a French
novelist.
), and graduated from the Lycée Saint-Louis
. He served as paymaster to the Army of Africa through several campaigns in Algeria
from 1844 to 1848. His parents were wealthy, yet at forty or upwards, he took to writing.
In 1843, using the name Fortuné Abraham-Dubois, he made his literary debut in the Journal d'Avranches with a series entitled Lettres de Sicile recounting a voyage he had taken the year before. His first successful novel, Les Deux comédiens appeared in 1868, under the du Boisgobey pen name in the Petit Journal. The story was popular, and M. Paul Dalloz of the Petit Moniteur signed a contract with the author for seven years at 12,000ƒ a year. His reputation was increased by the publication of Une Affaire mystérieuse and Le Forçat colonel, both published there in 1869. In 1877, Figaro engaged him for a series of novels, which increased the success of that paper. He was prolific, with more than sixty works to his name, and became one of the most popular feuilleton
writers. In 1885 and 1886 he was President of the Committee of the Société des gens de lettres
. Du Boisgobey died in 1891 after a long illness.
, with whom his name is generally associated. He even wrote a sequel, La Vieillesse de M. Lecoq, using Gaboriau's character Monsieur Lecoq
in 1877-78. His novels deal with crime, the police, and Parisian life. They had a high circulation, and the greater part of them have been translated into English.
English translations exist for the following works.
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...
novelist.
Life
Fortuné du Boisgobey was born at Granville (MancheManche
Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
), and graduated from the Lycée Saint-Louis
Lycée Saint-Louis
The lycée Saint-Louis is a higher education establishment located in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, in the Latin Quarter. It is the only public French lycée exclusively dedicated to classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles...
. He served as paymaster to the Army of Africa through several campaigns in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
from 1844 to 1848. His parents were wealthy, yet at forty or upwards, he took to writing.
In 1843, using the name Fortuné Abraham-Dubois, he made his literary debut in the Journal d'Avranches with a series entitled Lettres de Sicile recounting a voyage he had taken the year before. His first successful novel, Les Deux comédiens appeared in 1868, under the du Boisgobey pen name in the Petit Journal. The story was popular, and M. Paul Dalloz of the Petit Moniteur signed a contract with the author for seven years at 12,000ƒ a year. His reputation was increased by the publication of Une Affaire mystérieuse and Le Forçat colonel, both published there in 1869. In 1877, Figaro engaged him for a series of novels, which increased the success of that paper. He was prolific, with more than sixty works to his name, and became one of the most popular feuilleton
Feuilleton
Feuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
writers. In 1885 and 1886 he was President of the Committee of the Société des gens de lettres
Société des gens de lettres
The Sociéte des gens de lettres de France is a writers' association founded in 1838 by the notable French authors Honoré de Balzac, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and George Sand...
. Du Boisgobey died in 1891 after a long illness.
Work
Du Boisgobey was the chief of the followers of Émile GaboriauÉmile Gaboriau
Émile Gaboriau , was a French writer, novelist, and journalist, and a pioneer of modern detective fiction.- Life :Gaboriau was born in the small town of Saujon, Charente-Maritime...
, with whom his name is generally associated. He even wrote a sequel, La Vieillesse de M. Lecoq, using Gaboriau's character Monsieur Lecoq
Monsieur Lecoq
Monsieur Lecoq is the creation of Émile Gaboriau, a 19th-century French writer and journalist. Monsieur Lecoq is a fictional detective employed by the French Sûreté...
in 1877-78. His novels deal with crime, the police, and Parisian life. They had a high circulation, and the greater part of them have been translated into English.
English translations exist for the following works.
- Le Forçat colonel (1871) - The Convict Colonel
- Le Chevalier Casse-Cou (1873) - The Chevalier Casse-Cou / The Red Camelia
- Le Camélia rouge - The Red Camelia
- La Chasse aux ancêtres - The Search for Ancestors
- Le Vrai Masque de fer (1873) - The Iron Mask
- L’As de cœur (1875) - The Ace of Hearts
- La Tresse blonde (1875) - The Golden Tress
- Le Coup de pouce (1875) - The Thumb Stroke
- Les Mystères du nouveau Paris (1876) - The Mysteries of New Paris
- L'Enragé (1876) - Marie-Rose; or, The Mystery
- Une Affaire mystérieuse (1878) - The Nameless Man
- La Vieillesse de M. Lecoq (1878) - The Old Age of Lecoq, the Detective
- Première partie - The Old Age of Monsieur Lecoq
- Deuxième partie - The Nabob of Bahour
- L'Épingle rose (1879) - The Coral Pin
- Première partie - The Coral Pin
- Deuxième partie - The Temple of Death
- L'Héritage de Jean Tourniol (1879) - The Robbery of the Orphans; or, Jean Tourniol's Inheritance
- Le Crime de l'Opéra ou "La Rideau Sanglante" (1879) - The Crime of the Opera House / The Opera-House Tragedy
- La Main coupée (1880) - The Lost Casket / The Severed Hand
- Première partie - The Countess Yalta; or, The Nihilist Spy
- Deuxième partie - Doctor Villagos; or, The Nihilist Chief
- Où est Zénobie? (1880) - Where's Zenobia? / Zénobie Capitaine
- L'Affaire Matapan (1881) - The Matapan Affair / The Matapan Jewels
- L'Équipage du diable (1881) - The Day of Reckoning / Satan's Coach
- Le Crime de l'omnibus (1881) - An Omnibus Mystery / The Crime in the Omnibus
- Le Pavé de Paris (1881) - A Mystery Still
- Les Deux bonnets verts (1881) - Cécile's Fortune / Mérindol
- Le Pignon maudit (1882) - A Fight For A Fortune / The Privateersman's Legacy
- Le Bac (1882) - Who Died Last? or, The Rightful Heir / Was it a Murder? or, Who is the Heir? / The Ferry-Boat / Article 722; or, Roger's Inheritance
- Les Suites d'un duel (1882) - The Results of a Duel / The Consequences of a Duel: A Parisian Romance
- La Revanche de Fernande (1882) - Fernande's Choice
- Le Cochon d'or (1882) - The Golden Pig; or, The Idol of Modern Paris
- Bouche cousue (1883) - Sealed Lips
- Le Collier d'acier (1883) - The Steel Necklace
- Le Coup d'œil de M. Piédouche (1883) - The Detective's Eye / The Parisian Detective / Piedouche, a French Detective
- Le Billet rouge (1884) - The Red Lottery Ticket / Lover or Blackmailer?
- Le Mari de la diva (1884) - The Prima Donna's Husband
- Le Secret de Berthe (1884) - Bertha's Secret
- Première partie - Bertha's Secret
- Deuxième partie - The Countess de Marcenac
- Babiole (1884) - Pretty Babiole / Babiole, the Pretty Milliner
- Margot la Balafrée (1884) - In the Serpent's Coils / The Vitriol Thrower
- Première partie - The Sculptor's Daughter
- Deuxième partie - The Count's Ring
- La Voilette bleue (1885) - The Angel of the Chimes / The Angel of the Belfry / The Blue Veil; or, The Crime of the Tower
- Le Cri du sang (1885) - The Cry of Blood
- Le Pouce crochu (1885) - Thieving Fingers / Zig-Zag the Clown; or, The Steel Gauntlets
- La Belle geôlière (1885) - The Jailor's Pretty Wife
- La Bande rouge (1886) - The Red Band; or, The Siege and the Commune
- Première partie - The Red Band
- Deuxième partie - Scarlet Mystery / The Mystery of the Oak
- Porte close (1886) - The Condemned Door; or, The Secret of Trigavou Castle / The Closed Door
- Rubis sur l'ongle (1886) - Cash on Delivery: A Novel of Love and the Passion for Gaming
- Cœur volant (1886) - Fickle Heart! a Novel of Love and Racing
- Jean Coup-en-deux (1887) - Death or Dishonor
- L'Héritage d'un forçat (1887) - The Felon's Bequest
- L'Œil-de-chat (1888) - The Cat's-Eye Ring: A Secret of Paris Life
- Grippe-Soleil (1887) - The Bride of a Day: a Story of Paris Life
- Le Chalet des Pervenches (1888) - The Half-Sister's Secret
- Mariage d'inclination (1888) - Married for Love
- Décapitée! (1889) - The Severed Head; or, A Terrible Confession
- Le plongeur: scènes de la vie sportive (1889) - The High Roller; or, Plunging and Honeyfugling on the Race-Track: A Sporting Romance
- Fontenay Coup-d'Epée (1890) - Fontenay, the Swordsman
- Un Cadet de Normandie au XVIIe siècle (1891) - An Ocean Knight; or, The Corsairs and their Conquerors