Hégésippe Moreau
Encyclopedia
Hégésippe Moreau was a French
lyric poet
. From birth, he was called by the last name of his biological father (Moreau) and took on the pseudonym Hégésippe when he first began publishing poetry in 1829. In the imagination of the French romantics
and the 19th century public, the difficulties of Hégésippe Moreau's life and his untimely death made him a romantic equivalent of the earlier poets Thomas Chatterton
, Nicolas Joseph Laurent Gilbert
and Jacques Charles Louis de Clinchamp de Malfilâtre. This romantic myth was solidified by the publication of his complete works (together with the works of Gilbert and a list of poets who died of hunger) in 1856; the 1860 edition of his works included an important biographical preface by Sainte-Beuve.
. His father, Claude-François Moreau, born in Poligny
Jura, took a post of professor in the collège of Provins
(Seine-et-Marne
) in 1810, but died of tuberculosis
on May 16, 1814. Hégésippe's mother Marie Roulliot (born Jeanne-Marie Rouillot, March 12, 1774 in Cluny
Saône-et-Loire
) went into the service of a Madame Guérard in Provins, and this lady would become Hégésippe's benefactor. Hégésippe began his studies in Provins, and then (when the Guérard family moved to the country) was placed in the seminary of Meaux
(Seine-et-Marne), and later in the seminary of Avon
(near Fontainebleau
). His mother died of tuberculosis on February 5, 1823, while Hégésippe was a student at Avon.
When he left Avon in 1828 (in his preface to the collected works of Hégésippe, Sainte-Beuve informs us that Hégésippe was an excellent student of classical literature and that he was gifted at Latin versification), he entered into apprenticeship as a proofreader for a publisher in Provins, Monsieur Lebeau (in his works, Hégésippe refers to the daughter of M. Lebeau as his "sister" and he dedicated his short prose tales to her). Upon the passage of Charles X
through Provins in 1828, (Sainte-Beuve informs us) Moreau wrote his patriotic poem Vive le roi !.
Hégésippe Moreau went to Paris before 1830. On the advice of M. Lebrun, he sent a copy of his Epistle on Printing to M. Firmin Didot
and he was hired by the Didot publishing house (located on the rue Jacob), but left this employer shortly after. He took part in the July Revolution
of 1830, worked briefly as a tutor (maître d’étude), and began to lead the Bohemian
life. (Shortly after the July Revolution, M. Lebrun was named director of the Imprimerie royale (Royal Publishing House) and tried to hire Hégésippe, but the twenty year old poet had already abandoned this career.) In Paris, he was habitually houseless, and exposed himself to the dangers of a cholera
hospital in the great epidemic of 1832 simply to obtain shelter and food.
In 1833, ailing, he returned to Madame Guérard's in Provins to recuperate and began a kind of satirical serial called Diogène (named after the Greek Cynic Diogenes
) modelled on the journal La Némésis published by Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy
, but a lack of readership in the provincial town and creative rivalties made the venture a failure. Having alienated several of his supporters and participated in a duel, Hégésippe returned to Paris.
From 1834 to 1838, he lived in great misery in Paris, and entirely ruined in his health, he was forced to take logings in a refuge of the destitute (Hôpital de la Charité). It was only just before his death that he succeeded in getting his collected poems published, selling the copyright for 4 sterling and 80 copies of the book. This volume, Myosotis (1838), was received not unfavourably, but the author's death of tuberculosis on the 20th of December 1838 created an interest in it which was proportionately excessive.
, Pierre-Jean de Béranger
and Auguste-Marseille Barthelemy
. His earlier songs are distinguished from those of his model, Béranger, chiefly by their elegiac note. Some of his poems, such as the elegy La Voulsie (1837) and the charming romance La Fermire (1835), have great sweetness and show incontestable poetic power. Moreau wrote some charming prose
stories: Le Gui de chene, La Souris blanche, etc.
Charles Baudelaire
however saw Moreau's work as pompous and derivative.
The French version of Wikisource
has copies of his works available.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
lyric poet
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
. From birth, he was called by the last name of his biological father (Moreau) and took on the pseudonym Hégésippe when he first began publishing poetry in 1829. In the imagination of the French romantics
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
and the 19th century public, the difficulties of Hégésippe Moreau's life and his untimely death made him a romantic equivalent of the earlier poets Thomas Chatterton
Thomas Chatterton
Thomas Chatterton was an English poet and forger of pseudo-medieval poetry. He died of arsenic poisoning, either from a suicide attempt or self-medication for a venereal disease.-Childhood:...
, Nicolas Joseph Laurent Gilbert
Nicolas Joseph Laurent Gilbert
Nicolas-Joseph-Laurent Gilbert was a French poet born at Fontenoy-le-Château, Vosges, Lorraine.Having completed his education at the college of Dole, he devoted himself for a time to a half-scholastic, half-literary life at Nancy, but in 1774 he found his way to the capital...
and Jacques Charles Louis de Clinchamp de Malfilâtre. This romantic myth was solidified by the publication of his complete works (together with the works of Gilbert and a list of poets who died of hunger) in 1856; the 1860 edition of his works included an important biographical preface by Sainte-Beuve.
Biography
In his infancy, his parents, who were poor, migrated to ProvinsProvins
Provins is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.Provins, a town of medieval fairs, became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2001.-Administration:...
. His father, Claude-François Moreau, born in Poligny
Poligny
Poligny is the name of several communes in France:* Poligny, Hautes-Alpes, in the Hautes-Alpes département* Poligny, Aube, in the Aube département* Poligny, Jura, in the Jura département...
Jura, took a post of professor in the collège of Provins
Provins
Provins is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.Provins, a town of medieval fairs, became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2001.-Administration:...
(Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
) in 1810, but died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
on May 16, 1814. Hégésippe's mother Marie Roulliot (born Jeanne-Marie Rouillot, March 12, 1774 in Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
) went into the service of a Madame Guérard in Provins, and this lady would become Hégésippe's benefactor. Hégésippe began his studies in Provins, and then (when the Guérard family moved to the country) was placed in the seminary of Meaux
Meaux
Meaux is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located east-northeast from the center of Paris. Meaux is a sub-prefecture of the department and the seat of an arondissement...
(Seine-et-Marne), and later in the seminary of Avon
Avon, Seine-et-Marne
Avon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-Geography:Avon and Fontainebleau, together with three other smaller communes, form an urban area of 36,713 inhabitants...
(near Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
). His mother died of tuberculosis on February 5, 1823, while Hégésippe was a student at Avon.
When he left Avon in 1828 (in his preface to the collected works of Hégésippe, Sainte-Beuve informs us that Hégésippe was an excellent student of classical literature and that he was gifted at Latin versification), he entered into apprenticeship as a proofreader for a publisher in Provins, Monsieur Lebeau (in his works, Hégésippe refers to the daughter of M. Lebeau as his "sister" and he dedicated his short prose tales to her). Upon the passage of Charles X
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
through Provins in 1828, (Sainte-Beuve informs us) Moreau wrote his patriotic poem Vive le roi !.
Hégésippe Moreau went to Paris before 1830. On the advice of M. Lebrun, he sent a copy of his Epistle on Printing to M. Firmin Didot
Firmin Didot
Firmin Didot was a French printer, engraver, and type founder. He invented the word "stereotype", which in printing refers to the metal printing plate created for the actual printing of pages , and used the process extensively, revolutionizing the book trade by his cheap editions...
and he was hired by the Didot publishing house (located on the rue Jacob), but left this employer shortly after. He took part in the July Revolution
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
of 1830, worked briefly as a tutor (maître d’étude), and began to lead the Bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
life. (Shortly after the July Revolution, M. Lebrun was named director of the Imprimerie royale (Royal Publishing House) and tried to hire Hégésippe, but the twenty year old poet had already abandoned this career.) In Paris, he was habitually houseless, and exposed himself to the dangers of a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
hospital in the great epidemic of 1832 simply to obtain shelter and food.
In 1833, ailing, he returned to Madame Guérard's in Provins to recuperate and began a kind of satirical serial called Diogène (named after the Greek Cynic Diogenes
Diogenes of Sinope
Diogenes the Cynic was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy. Also known as Diogenes of Sinope , he was born in Sinope , an Ionian colony on the Black Sea , in 412 or 404 BCE and died at Corinth in 323 BCE.Diogenes of Sinope was a controversial figure...
) modelled on the journal La Némésis published by Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy
Auguste-Marseille Barthelemy
Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy , born at Marseilles, was a French satirical poet. His name can hardly be separated from that of his friend and compatriot, Joseph Méry , with whom he carried on so intimate a collaboration that it is not possible to distinguish their personalities in their joint...
, but a lack of readership in the provincial town and creative rivalties made the venture a failure. Having alienated several of his supporters and participated in a duel, Hégésippe returned to Paris.
From 1834 to 1838, he lived in great misery in Paris, and entirely ruined in his health, he was forced to take logings in a refuge of the destitute (Hôpital de la Charité). It was only just before his death that he succeeded in getting his collected poems published, selling the copyright for 4 sterling and 80 copies of the book. This volume, Myosotis (1838), was received not unfavourably, but the author's death of tuberculosis on the 20th of December 1838 created an interest in it which was proportionately excessive.
Writings
Moreau's work has a strong note of imitation from André ChénierAndré Chénier
André Marie Chénier was a French poet, associated with the events of the French Revolution of which he was a victim. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precursors of the Romantic movement...
, Pierre-Jean de Béranger
Pierre-Jean de Béranger
Pierre-Jean de Béranger was a prolific French poet and chansonnier , who enjoyed great popularity and influence in France during his lifetime, but faded into obscurity in the decades following his death...
and Auguste-Marseille Barthelemy
Auguste-Marseille Barthelemy
Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy , born at Marseilles, was a French satirical poet. His name can hardly be separated from that of his friend and compatriot, Joseph Méry , with whom he carried on so intimate a collaboration that it is not possible to distinguish their personalities in their joint...
. His earlier songs are distinguished from those of his model, Béranger, chiefly by their elegiac note. Some of his poems, such as the elegy La Voulsie (1837) and the charming romance La Fermire (1835), have great sweetness and show incontestable poetic power. Moreau wrote some charming prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
stories: Le Gui de chene, La Souris blanche, etc.
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
however saw Moreau's work as pompous and derivative.
Poetry collections
- Le Myosotis, petits contes et petits vers ; Desessart, Paris, 1838. Choice of poems and tales, including Contes à ma Sœur.
- Œuvres de Hégésippe Moreau, preface de Sainte-Beuve, Paris, 1860. Available on Gallica http://gallica.bnf.fr/ (in an incomplete version; the poem « Dix-huit ans » is missing)
- Contes à ma Sœur ; Petite Collection rose, Librairie A. Lemerre, Paris (no date), which includes :
- Le Gui de Chêne,
- La Souris blanche,
- Les Petits Souliers,
- Thérèse Sureau,
- Le Neveu de la Fruitière.
- Contes à ma Sœur, notes by E. Gœpp ; A. Lemerre, Paris ; 1889. Including :
- Contes à ma Sœur
- Le Gui de Chêne,
- La Souris blanche,
- Les Petits Souliers,
- Thérèse Sureau,
- Le Neveu de la Fruitière.
- Poésies
- Un Souvenir à l'Hôpital,
- La Fermière,
- La Mort d'une Cousine de sept ans,
- La Voulzie
- Contes à ma Sœur
Tales
- Le Neveu de la fruitière (originally published in Journal des Enfants in 1836
- M; Scribe à l’Académie (originally published in La Psyché in January 1836
- Jeanne d’Arc (originally published in Journal des Demoiselles in May 1836
- Les petits Souliers (originally published in Journal des demoiselles in April 1836
- La Dame de cœur (originally published in Le petit Courrier des Dames in September 1836
- Le Gui de chêne (originally published in Journal des demoiselles in January 1837
- Thérèse Sureau (originally published in la Psyché in January 1837
- La Souris blanche (originally published in Journal des demoiselles in January 1837
The French version of Wikisource
Wikisource
Wikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...
has copies of his works available.