Henri Auguste Barbier (29 April 1805 – 13 February 1882) was a French

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and poet. Barbier was born in Paris, France. He was inspired by the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first in 1789. It led to ...

and poured forth a series of eager, vigorous poems, denouncing the evils of the time. They are spoken of collectively as the ''Iambes'' (1831), though the designation is not strictly applicable to all. As the name suggests, they are modelled on the verse of

André Chénier André Marie Chénier (; 30 October 176225 July 1794) was a French poet of Greek and Franco-Levantine origin, associated with the events of the French Revolution of which he was a victim. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precur ...

. They include ''La Curée'', ''La Popularité'', ''L'Idole'', ''Paris'', ''Dante'', ''Quatre-vingt-treize'' and ''Varsovie''. The rest of Barbier's poems are forgotten, and when, in 1869, he received the long delayed honour of admission to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, Montalembert expressed the general sentiment with "Barbier? mais il est mort!," but actually he died at

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

in 1882. Barbier collaborated with Léon de Wailly in the

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

of Berlioz' opera ''

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiograph ...

'', and his works include two series of poems on the political and social troubles of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and England, printed in later editions of ''Iambes et poèmes''.

Works

* ''La Curée (1830, dans la ''

Revue de Paris ''Revue de Paris'' was a French literary magazine founded in 1829 by Louis-Désiré Véron. After two years Veron left the magazine to head the Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded ...

''). Texte sur wikisource * ''Les Mauvais Garçons'' (1830). With

Alphonse Royer Alphonse Royer, (10 September 1803 – 11 April 1875) was a French author, dramatist and theatre manager, most remembered today for having written (with his regular collaborator, Gustave Vaëz) the librettos for Gaetano Donizetti's opera ''La ...

. * ''Iambes et poèmes'' (1831) Texte sur Wikisource * ''II Pianto : poème'' (1833) Texte en ligne
/small> * ''Salon de 1836. Suite d'articles publiés par le Journal de Paris'' (1836) * ''Lazare : poème'' (1833) * ''Satires et poèmes'' (1837) * ''Nouvelles Satires : pot-de-vin et érostrate'' (1840) * ''Chants civils et religieux'' (1841) * ''Rimes héroïques'' (1843) * ''Rimes légères : chansons et odelettes'' (1851) * ''Satires et cahants'' (1853) * ''Silves : poésies diverses'' (1864) * ''Satires'' (1865) Texte sur Wikisource * ''Trois passions'' (1867) * ''Discours de réception'' (1870). * ''Histoires de voyage : souvenirs et tableaux, 1830-1872'' (1880). Réédition : Slatkine, Genève, 1973. * ''Contes du Soir'' (1879). * ''Chez les poètes : études, traductions et imitations en vers'' (1882) Texte en ligne
/small> * ''Les Quatre Heures de la toilette des dames : poème érotique en quatre chants'' (1883) * ''Œuvres posthumes'' (4 volumes, 1883-1889) Texte en ligne
/small> ;Translations *

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

: ''Jules César : tragédie'' (1848) *

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lak ...

: ''La Chanson du vieux marin'' (1877) ;Libretto * ''

, opera in 2 acts, lyrics by Léon de Wailly and Auguste Barbier, music by

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

'', Paris, premiered at the théâtre of the

Académie royale de musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

3 September 1838. Texte en ligne
/small> ;Popular Culture His poem Le Gin is referenced in Season 2 of Les Témoins Texte en ligne
/small> The murderer writes graffiti near crime scenes based on these lines of the poem: "Les mères mêmes, en rentrant pas à pas, Laissent tomber les enfants de leurs bras, Et les enfants, aux yeux des folles mères, Vont se briser la tête sur les pierres."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbier, Henri Auguste 1805 births 1882 deaths Writers from Paris 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights Members of the Académie Française Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French poets