Henrietta Consuelo Sansom, Countess of Quigini Puliga (24 April 1847 – 5 August 1938) was a French writer and novelist known better by the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

, Brada, a shortened version of her earlier

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Bradamente. She also wrote on occasion as Mosca. In 1925, she was appointed Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. The Académie Française awarded her the

Montyon Prize The Montyon Prize () is a series of prizes awarded annually by the French Academy of Sciences and the Académie française. They are endowed by the French benefactor Baron de Montyon. History Prior to the start of the French Revolution, the B ...

in 1890, the Jouy Prize in 1895, and the Xavier Marmier Prize in 1934.

Early life and education

Henrietta (also known as, "Marie") Consuelo Sansom was born 24 April 1847, 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 ...

. She was the daughter of a wealthy British expatriate, Charles Sansom. Brada spent most of her childhood boarding in a girls' private school located near the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...

. Being born out of wedlock, she found herself destitute upon the death of her father, whose inheritance was shared by his legitimate children.

Career

In 1868, she married an Italian count twenty years her senior, Efisio Quigini Puliga (1827-1876),''La Formazione della diplomazia nazionale (1861-1915). Repertorio bio-bibliografico dei funzionari del Ministero degli Affari Esteri'', University of Lecce, Department of Historical and Social Sciences, Rome: Polygraphic Institute and State Mint, 1987, p. 605. adviser to the Italian

Legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legation ...

in Paris, who died in 1876 following a long illness. To provide for the education of her two young children, she began to write chronicles and short stories under the

"Bradamente", later abbreviated to "Brada", which were published in the ''

Journal des débats The ''Journal des débats'' (, ''Journal of Debates'') was a French newspaper, published between 1789 and 1944 that changed title several times. Created shortly after the first meeting of the Estates-General of 1789, it was, after the outbreak ...

'', ''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'', the ''

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

'' as well as in several other periodicals such as '' La Vie parisienne'' and ''

L'Illustration ''L'Illustration'' (; 1843–1944) was a French language, French illustrated weekly newspaper published in Paris. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in ...

'' where she used the pseudonym, "Mosca".Heilly, Georges d'. ''Dictionary of pseudonyms'', Paris: Rouquette, 1868, p. 54. (in French) Her novels and short stories, which soon appeared in bookstores, met with great success and received awards from the Académie Française with the

in 1890, the Jouy Prize in 1895, and the Xavier Marmier Prize in 1934. She thus continued to write until at the age of over 80, leading a simple life in Paris interspersed with stays in Italy.Velde, Mme. M. S. van de. ''French Fiction of To-day'', Vol. II. London: Rischler, 1891, pp. 174-176. The success of her novels was due in part to the aristocratic circles that she had participated in, first while in Paris and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where she had lived with her father, then in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, where she had followed her husband in his diplomatic career. They were largely based on "cosmopolitan high-society intrigues" depicting "supremely aristocratic passions and vices".Angenot, Marc, "Des Romans pour les femmes : un secteur du discours social en 1889", ''Études littéraires'', vol. 16, no. 3, 1983, p. 334. Often compared to Gyp, Brada was appreciated by her contemporary readers for her "spontaneity and freshness" as well as for her "elegance and distinction".''Journal des débats politiques et littéraires'', 6 August 1938, p. 2, col. 7. She dabbled in different genres. Her first book, ''

Madame de Sévigné Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution) Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement ...

: Her Correspondents and Contemporaries'', written in English and published in London in 1873, was a study of the correspondents and contemporaries of

. Brada's remarks on the decline of the aristocracy and the emancipation of women, which appeared in her ''Notes sur Londres'' (Notes on London) in 1895, caught the attention of

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

. In later life, she published two memories, one in English, the other in French. In the first, published in 1899 under the title ''My Father and I'', she evoked her early childhood as well as her first steps in British high society in the company of her father, to whom she felt bound by a great complicity."Comptes rendus", ''The Literary World'', Vol. XXXI, Boston: E. H. Hames & Co., Jan. - Dec. 1900, pp. 54-55.''The New York Times'', 15 April 1900. In the second, entitled ''Souvenirs d'une petite Second Empire'' and published in 1921, she recounted her memories of boarding school and, among many other anecdotes, the visits she made to

Ewelina Hańska Eveline Hańska (; 6 January – 11 April 1882) was a Polish people, Polish nobility, noblewoman best known for her marriage to French novelist Honoré de Balzac. Born at the Wierzchownia estate in VolhyniaJuanita Helm Floyd ''Women in th ...

, Balzac's widow.Jarry, Paul, ''Le Dernier Logis de Balzac'', Paris, S. Kra, 1924, p. 61.

Death

She died 5 August 1938, Paris,''

'', 6 August 1938, p. 2, col. 5. and was buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

(section 46).

Awards

* 1890,

(''Madame d’Épone'') * 1895, Jouy Prize (''Notes sur l’Angleterre'') * 23 July 1925, Chevalier,

* 1934, Xavier Marmier Prize

Selected works

Chronicles, novels, short stories

*''Leurs Excellences'', 1878 *''Mylord et mylady'', 1884 *''Compromise'', 1889 *"lzac", Paris, S. Kra, 1924, p. 61., ''L'Irrémédiable'', 1891 *''À la dérive'', 1893 *''Notes sur Londres'', 1895 *''Jeunes Madames'', preface by

Anatole France (; born ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters.Lettres d'une amoureuse
', 1897 *''L'Ombre'', 1898 *''Petits et grands'', 1898 *''Une impasse'', 1899 *''Comme les autres'', 1902 *''Retour du flot'', (Collection Nelson) 1903 *''Isolée'', 1904 *''Les Beaux jours de Flavien'', 1905 *
Ninette et sa grand'mère
', 1906 *''Disparu'', 1906 *''Les Amantes'', 1907 *''Malgré l'amour'', 1907 *''L'Àme libre'', 1908 *
La Brèche
', 1909 *''Monsieur Carotte. La Petite bergère. Le Bal des pantins'', 1910 *''Madame d'Épone'', 1922 *''Après la tourmente'', 1926 *''Cœur solitaire'', 1928 *''La Maison de la peur'', 1930 *''Prise au piège'', 1937

Scripts

*''Le Coup de feu'', Pathé frères, 1911 *''Le Geste qui accuse'', Pathé frères, 1913

Biographies

*
Madame de Sévigné, her correspondents and contemporaries
', 2 vol., 1873 (in English)

Memoirs

*''My Father and I. A book for daughters'', 1899 (in English) *''Souvenirs d'une petite Second Empire'', 1921

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brada 1847 births 1938 deaths 19th-century French writers 19th-century French non-fiction writers 19th-century French short story writers 19th-century French novelists 20th-century French memoirists 19th-century French women writers 20th-century French women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Writers from Paris Pseudonymous women writers French biographers French women novelists French women short story writers 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights French women dramatists and playwrights French women biographers Knights of the Legion of Honour English-language writers from France