Louis Amédée Eugène Achard (19 April 1814 – 25 March 1875) was a prolific French novelist. Achard was born in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. After a short stay near Algiers, where he supervised a farm, he went to

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

, and then

, where he became a journalist and wrote for the ''Sémaphore.'' He moved to Paris, where he wrote for the ''Vert-Vert'', the ''Entracte'', the ''Charivari'', and the ''Époque''. Achard wrote extensively for the ''Époque'', even writing for his colleagues when they lacked inspiration. He then collaborated in the satirical journal ''Le Pamphlet'', and was gravely wounded in a duel with a man named Fiorentino, whom he had defamed. While still convalescent, he left for Italy with the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

to cover the war for the ''Journal des Débats''. Achard was a prolific writer. In addition to his journalism, he wrote about thirty plays and about forty books. He is known today primarily for his

cloak and dagger "Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common in the Renaissance involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak. The term later came into use as a metaphor, referring to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery. Overview In " Th ...

novels. Some incorrectly claim that he was the originator of the term ( Ponson du Terrail used the term a little before him), but he did write a novel called ''la Cape et l'Épée'' (''The Cloak and Dagger'') in 1875. Achard also wrote many books on manners. He died, aged 60, in Paris.

Works

*'' Belle-Rose'' (1847) *'' Les Petits-fils de Lovelace'' (1854) *'' La Robe de Nessus'' (1855) *'' Maurice de Treuil'' (1857) *'' Le Clos Pommier'' (1858) *'' La Sabotière'' (1859) *'' Les Misères d'un millionnaire'' (1861) *'' Histoire d'un homme'' (1863) *'' Les Coups d'épée de M. de La Guerche'' (1863) Republished by Phébus in 1991 *'' Mme de Sarens'' (1865) *'' La Chasse à l'idéal'' (1867) *'' Marcelle'' (1868) *'' Envers et contre tous'' (1874) (sequel to ''Les Coups d'épées de M. de La Guerche'') Republished by Phébus in 1991 *'' La Cape et l'Épée'' (1875) *'' Toison d'or'' (1875) (sequel to ''La Cape et l'Épée'')

References

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External links

* * 1814 births 1875 deaths Writers from Marseille 19th-century French novelists Writers from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French journalists French male journalists French male novelists 19th-century French male writers 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights {{France-playwright-stub