Louise Cruppi, née Crémieux (1862–1925), was a French writer, musician and activist.

Biography

Louise Cruppi was raised from the age of 10 years old by her grandfather, Isaac Adolphe Crémieux (1796–1880), an influential political figure during the French Second Republic known primarily for his efforts to protect and extend the human rights of

French Jews The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but persecution increased over time, including multiple expulsi ...

. Louise Crémieux received an excellent education and had a great talent for music. She took piano lessons with Gabriel Fauré and voice lessons with

Pauline Viardot Pauline Viardot (; 18 July 1821 – 18 May 1910) was a nineteenth-century French mezzo-soprano, pedagogue and composer of Spanish descent. Born Michelle Ferdinande Pauline García, her name appears in various forms. When it is not simply "Pauli ...

. On April 20, 1882, at the age of 20, she married Jean Cruppi (1855–1933). An elected member of parliament without interruption from 1898 to 1919, Cruppi held important ministerial posts in the governments of the Third Republic. The couple had 4 children and Louise Cruppi continued her musical activities, including hosting an important musical salon in her home at 80, rue de l’Université in Paris. She encouraged Maurice Ravel in his early work and, to thank her, he dedicated his 1907 opera, '' L’heure espagnole'', to her. Her daughter, Amélie Cruppi, married sculptor

Paul Landowski Paul Maximilien Landowski (1 June 1875 – 31 March 1961) was a French monument sculptor of Polish descent. His best-known work is '' Christ the Redeemer'' in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Biography Landowski was born in Paris, France, of a Polish re ...

in 1913. Landowski writes with great affection about his mother-in-law in his journal (http://journal.paul-landowski.com/).

Literary career and social activism

Cruppi's first novel appeared in 1905. ''Avant l’heure'' (Ollendorff) is based on the early career of the composer Georges Bizet. In 1908 her play, ''Répudiée'', was performed at the Théâtre Antoine. She published an essay on Swedish women writers in 1912, entitled ''Les Femmes écrivains aujourd’hui 1''. Her second novel, ''La Famille Sanarens'', was published by Grasset in 1921. Cruppi was a member of the jury of the

prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French literary prize created in 1904 by 22 writers for the magazine '' La Vie heureuse'' (today known as '' Femina''). The prize is decided each year by an exclusively female jury. They reward French-language works writte ...

from the early 1920s until her death in 1925. In addition to her literary and musical activities, Cruppi embraced many social causes. She founded public lending libraries in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Paris, was a member of the executive committee of the Conseil national des femmes françaises or

National Council of French Women National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. Louise Cruppi was a long-time correspondent of

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production a ...

. Between them they exchanged over 1000 letters between 1905 and her death in 1925.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruppi, Louise 1862 births 1925 deaths French people of Jewish descent French writers French musicians French activists French women activists