Albert Delpit (January 30, 1849 – January 4, 1893) was a French

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

Biography

Born in 1849 in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, Albert Delpit was the son of a wealthy tobacco merchant, Jean Adrien Delpit (1806–1883), and Marie Félicité Plaix (1822–1876). He came to France at a young age to study in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

. He initially worked for magazines established by

Alexandre Dumas père Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

, such as ''Le Mousquetaire'' and ''Le d’Artagnan'', while beginning to write his own works. During the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870, he served voluntarily and wrote a collection of verses titled ''L’Invasion'' (1870), which achieved great success. The

French Academy French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

awarded him the Prix Montyon in 1871, the Prix de poésie in 1873, and the Prix Vitet in 1880. His American nationality saved him from death during the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

; he served as an aide-de-camp to Admiral Saisset, who attempted mediation. In 1883, he engaged in a duel with

Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ' ...

, accusing him of various literary offenses. Delpit became a French citizen in 1892. He died on January 5, 1893, at his residence in the

8th arrondissement of Paris The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' (). The ar ...

, and was buried in the

Montmartre Cemetery The Cemetery of Montmartre () is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis in Paris, after the Père Lachaise Cemet ...

(28th division).

Works

Novels

*
Les Malédictions
' (1869) *
L'Invasion 1870
' (1870) *
Jean-nu-pieds, chronique de 1832
' (1874) *
La Famille Cavalié
' (1878) * ''La Marquise'' (1882)

Plays

* ''L'Apothéose de Lamartine'' (1869) * ''La Voix du maître'' (1870) * ''Le Fils de Coralie'' (1880) * ''Le Père de Martial'' (1883) * ''Mademoiselle de Bressier'' (1887) * ''Passionnément'' (1891)

Poetry

* ''Le Repentir, récit d'un curé de campagne'' (1873) * ''La Vieillesse de Corneille'' (1877) * ''Sur les bords de la Nonnette et de la Beuvronne'' (1886)

Others

* ''La Volonté nationale'' (1870) *
Huit jours d'histoire : le commandement de l'amiral Saisset du 19 au 25 mars 1871
' (1871) *
Boj srdce mateřského
' (1886)

References

External links

Works available on Gallica
* ''Jean-nu-pieds'' (Project Gutenberg)
''Le Pion''
(the Baudelaire statue controversy) {{Authority control 1849 births 1893 deaths French novelists French poets 19th-century French writers 19th-century French novelists Writers from New Orleans