Suzanne Verdier (1745 – 1813) was a French writer. She was a contributor to the ''

Encyclopédie , better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...

''.

Biography

Suzanne Allut was born in 1745, in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

. At the age of 20, along with her brother Antoine, she collaborated on the ''

''. In Paris, she was educated by the Encyclopédiste priest

Jean Pestré Jean Pestré, or Pestre, (1723, Saint-Geniez-d'Olt – 1821, Paris) was an 18th–19th-century French theologian. He worked closely with the two encyclopédistes abbés Claude Yvon and Jean-Martin de Prades. From 1751, all three shared an apartmen ...

, demonstrating an early aptitude for poetry, painting and music. After marrying Mr. Verdier, a rich merchant of Uzès, she provided a thorough education for her children, while reserving time to cultivate her own skills. Many of her poems of the period 1775 to 1787 were contributed to the ''

Almanach des Muses ''L'Almanach des Muses'' was a French-language poetry magazine published in Paris, France. History and profile ''Almanach des Muses'' was founded in 1765 by Claude-Sixte Sautreau de Marsy, Sautreau de Marsy. The magazine was much in vogue during ...

'', and were highly appreciated. One of these works, ''Description de la Fontaine de Vaucluse'' (Description of the Fountain of Vaucluse), was included in the French poetry collection by

Jean-François de La Harpe Jean-François de La Harpe (20 November 1739 – 11 February 1803) was a French playwright, writer and literary critic. Life La Harpe was born in Paris of poor parents. His father, who signed himself Delharpe, was a descendant of a noble family ...

who said: "And Verdier in the idyll who defeated Deshoulières." In 1807, Verdier was elected member of the Academy of

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

. She was awarded three crowns at the Floral Games, which earned her the title of master of the academy, Consistori del Gay Saber. She was also admitted to the

Accademia degli Arcadi The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", is an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History Found ...

, the Academy of

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.

. What is perhaps no less flattering than these public tributes to Verdier was the testimony given in her regard by the literary women of her time, an example being a statement made by Henriette Bourdic-Viot to Adelaide Dufrenoy: "We are a crowd of musettes, Madame Verdier alone is a muse." Verdier left a touching

elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...

for her brother, Antoine, who was guillotined as a

Girondin The Girondins (, ), also called Girondists, were a political group during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnards, they initiall ...

. She died in 1813 in Uzès after an attack of

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verdier, Suzanne 18th-century French women writers 1745 births 1813 deaths 18th-century French poets French women poets Writers from Montpellier Contributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–1772)