Marie-Joseph "Eugène" Sue (; 26 January 18043 August 1857) was a French novelist. He was one of several authors who popularized the genre of the serial novel in France with his very popular and widely imitated ''

The Mysteries of Paris ''The Mysteries of Paris'' (french: Les Mystères de Paris) is a novel by the French writer Eugène Sue. It was published serially in 90 parts in ''Journal des débats'' from 19 June 1842 until 15 October 1843, making it one of the first seria ...

'', which was published in a newspaper from 1842 to 1843. Francis Amery. "Sue, "Eugène", in Pringle, David. 1998. ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers''. Detroit, MI: St. James Press (pp. 680–681). .

Early life

Sue was born in Paris, France. He was the son of a distinguished surgeon in

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

's army,

Jean-Joseph Sue Prof Jean-Joseph Sue FRS FRSE (20 April 1710 – 15 December 1792) was a French surgeon and anatomist. Life He was born at La Colle-sur-Loup on 20 April 1710 the son of Pierre Jean Sue (d.1714) and his wife, Marguerite Bellisime (d.1748). Jean- ...

, and had Empress Joséphine as his godmother. Sue himself acted as surgeon both in the 1823 French campaign in Spain and at the

Battle of Navarino The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October (O. S. 8 October) 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–29), in Navarino Bay (modern Pylos), on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied f ...

in 1827. In 1829 his father's death put him in possession of a considerable fortune, and he settled in Paris.

Literary career

Sue's naval experiences supplied much of the material for his first novels, ''Kernock le pirate'' (1830), ''Atar-Gull'' (1831), ''La Salamandre'' (2 vols, 1832), ''La Coucaratcha'' (4 vols, 1832–1834), and others, written at the height of the Romantic movement of 1830. In the quasi-historical style he wrote ''Jean Cavalier, ou Les Fanatiques des Cevennes'' (4 vols, 1840) and ''Latréaumont'' (2 vols, 1837). His ''Mathilde'' (6 vols, 1841) contains the first known expression of the popular proverb "''La vengeance se mange très-bien froide''", translated in 1846 as "''Revenge is very good eaten cold''" by D. G. Osborne, also constituting the first known English usage of the proverb later expressed in English as ''"Revenge is a dish best served cold"''. He was strongly affected by the socialist ideas of the day, and these prompted his most famous works, the "anti-Catholic" novels: ''

'' (''Les Mystères de Paris'') (published in '' Journal des débats'' from 19 June 1842 until 15 October 1843) and ''The Wandering Jew'' (''Le Juif errant''; 10 vols, 1844–1845), which were among the most popular specimens of the serial novel. ''The Wandering Jew'' is a

Gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

depicting the titular character in conflict with the villain, a murderous

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

named Rodin. These works depicted the intrigues of the nobility and the harsh life of the underclass to a wide public. ''Les Mystères de Paris ''spawned a class of imitations all over the world, the city mysteries. Sue's books caused controversy because of their strongly violent scenes, and also because of their socialist and anti-clerical subtexts. He followed up with some singular books: ''Les Sept pêchés capitaux'' (16 vols, 1847–1849) contained stories to illustrate each of the seven deadly sins; ''Les Mystères du peuple'' (1849–1856), a long series of historical novels which was suppressed by the censor in 1857; and several others, all on a very large scale, though the number of volumes gives an exaggerated idea of their length. ''Les Mystères du peuple'' is a lengthy series of novels and novellas dealing with French history. ''Les Mystères du peuple'' begins with a novel graphically depicting slavery in the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

(''The Iron Collar''). Other ''Les Mystères du peuple'' novels dealt with

Early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewis ...

(''The Silver Cross''), King

Clovis I Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single ki ...

(''The Poniard's Hilt''), the founding of the Duchy of Normandy (''The Iron Arrow-Head''), the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

in Palestine (''The Pilgrim's Shell''), the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crow ...

(''The Iron Pincers''), the Jacquerie (''The Iron Trevet''),

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

(''The Executioner's Knife'') and the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

(''Sword of Honor''). The novels were translated into English (as the "Mysteries of the People") and published in New York by Daniel De Leon and his son, Solon. Some of Sue's books, among them ''The Wandering Jew'' and ''The Mysteries of Paris'', were dramatized by himself, usually in collaboration with others. His period of greatest success and popularity coincided with that of

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

, with whom he has been compared. According to

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of th ...

, parts of Sue's book ''Les Mystères du peuple'' served as a source for Maurice Joly in his 1864 work ''Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu'', a book attacking

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

and his political ambitions. The two are depicted in

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was not ...

's cartoon book ''The Plot'', co-authored with Eco.

Eco, Umberto Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of the ...

(1994), "Fictional Protocols", Six Walks in the Fictional Woods, Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

, p. 135, .

Political career

After the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundatio ...

, Sue was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the Paris-Seine constituency in April 1850. He was exiled from Paris in consequence of his protest against the

French coup d'état of 1851 French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Fran ...

. This exile stimulated his literary production. Sue died in

Annecy-le-Vieux Annecy-le-Vieux () is a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Annecy.Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Sa ...

on 3 August 1857 and was buried at the Cimetière de Loverchy (

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...

) in the Non-Catholic's Carré des "Dissidents".

Legacy

* ''Rue Eugène Sue'' in the

18th arrondissement of Paris The 18th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dix-huitième''. The arrondissement, known as Butte-Montmartr ...

near the Marcadet-Poissonniers station of the Paris Métro, not far from

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

and the Sacré-Cœur. * ''Calle Eugenio Sue'' in

Polanco, Mexico City Polanco is a neighborhood in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City. Polanco is an affluent '' colonia'', noted for its luxury shopping along Presidente Masaryk Avenue, the most expensive street in Mexico, as well as for the numerous promin ...

. * Sue is a character in

's 2010 novel '' The Prague Cemetery''. * United States socialist

Eugene Victor Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate of the So ...

was named after Eugène Sue and

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

. * In Thomas Pynchon's 2006 novel '' Against the Day'', an intelligent dog named Pugnax enjoys reading Sue.

Bibliography

* ''Kernock le pirate'' (1830) * ''Atar-Gull'' (1831) * ''La Salamandre'' (2 vols, 1832) * ''La Coucaratcha'' (4 vols, 1832–1834) * ''Jean Cavalier, ou Les Fanatiques des Cevennes'' (4 vols, 1840) * ' (2 vols, 1837) * ''Mathilde'' (6 vols, 1841) * ''

'' (Les Mystères de Paris) (published in '' Journal des débats'' from 19 June 1842 until 15 October 1843) * ''

The Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. ...

'' (Le Juif errant; 10 vols, 1844–1845) * ''Les Sept pêchés capitaux'' (16 vols, 1847–1849) * ''Les Mystères du peuple'' (The Mysteries of the People) (1849–1856) **"The Gold Sickle; or, Hena, the Virgin of the Isle of Sen" **"The Brass Bell; or, The Chariot of Death" **"The Iron Collar; or, Faustine and Syomara" **"The Silver Cross; or, The Carpenter of Nazareth" **"The Casque’s Lark; or, Victoria, The Mother of the Fields" **"The Poniard's Hilt; or, Karadeucq and Ronan" **"The Branding Needle; or, The Monastery of Charolles" **"The Abbatial Crosier; or, Bonaik and Septimine" **"The Carlovingian Coins; or, The Daughters of Charlemagne" **"The Iron Arrow-Head; or, The Maid of the Buckler" **"The Infant’s Skull; or, The End of the World" **"The Shell of the Pilgrim; or, Fergan the Quarryman" **"The Iron Pincers; or, Mylio and Karvel" **"The Iron Trevet; or, Jocelyn the Champion" **"The Knife of the Executioner; or, Joan of Arc" **"The Pocket Bible; or, Christian the Printer" **"The Blacksmith’s Hammer; or, The Peasant-Code" **"The Sword of Honour; or, The Foundation of the French Republic" **"The Galley Slave’s Ring; or, The Family of Lebrenn"

References

External links

''Wandering Jew and Wandering Jewess''
dramatic screenplay adaptations by Robert Douglas Manning,
Eugène Sue - Mini Biography
Find A Grave * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sue, Eugene 1804 births 1857 deaths 19th-century French male writers 19th-century French novelists Critics of the Catholic Church French fantasy writers French historical novelists French male novelists French propagandists French socialists Writers from Paris Writers of Gothic fiction Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages