Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam facts for kids

Villiers de l'Isle-Adam

Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (born November 7, 1838 – died August 19, 1889) was a French writer. He is known for his unique style, often called Symbolism, which focused on ideas and emotions rather than just reality.

Life of a French Writer

Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was born in Saint-Brieuc, a town in Brittany, France. He came from an old and respected noble family. However, his parents were not very wealthy. His father spent a lot of time and money trying to find a lost treasure that supposedly belonged to the Knights of Malta. This treasure was said to be buried near a town called Quintin.

Villiers's education was a bit difficult, as he went to many different schools. But even when he was young, his family believed he was a very talented artist. He wrote poetry and music as a child. A sad event in his childhood was the death of a young girl who was important to him. This event deeply influenced his writing later on.

In the late 1850s, Villiers visited Paris many times. He loved the artistic and theater scene there. In 1860, his aunt gave him enough money to live in Paris permanently. He became known in writing groups for his exciting and passionate talks. He met his hero, Charles Baudelaire, who told him to read the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe and Baudelaire became big influences on Villiers's writing style.

His first book was a collection of poems called Premières Poésies (1859), which he paid to publish himself. It didn't become very famous at the time. Villiers had a relationship that his family disapproved of, and they sent him to a monastery for a time. He remained a devout Catholic throughout his life.

His relationship with Louise Dyonnet ended in 1864. He tried to marry several times, but it didn't work out. For example, he asked to marry the daughter of another famous writer, Théophile Gautier, but was turned down. Plans to marry an English heiress also failed. Villiers later lived with Marie Dantine, and they had a son named Victor, who they called "Totor."

An important moment in Villiers's life was meeting the famous composer Richard Wagner in 1869. Villiers read from his play La Révolte, and Wagner said that the Frenchman was a "true poet." Another trip to see Wagner was cut short in 1870 because of the Franco-Prussian War. During the war, Villiers became a commander in the Garde Nationale, a military group. At first, he was impressed by the patriotic spirit of the Commune, a revolutionary government, and wrote articles supporting it. However, he soon became disappointed by its violence.

Villiers's aunt died in 1871, which meant he no longer had her financial support. Even though many writers admired his work, mainstream newspapers found his stories too unusual to sell well, and few theaters would perform his plays. Villiers had to take odd jobs to support his family. He gave boxing lessons, worked in a funeral home, and was an assistant to a traveling showman. He was so poor that he often had to write his novel L'Ève future lying on the floor because he had no furniture.

In the 1880s, Villiers's fame began to grow, but his money problems continued. A publisher accepted his book Contes cruels, but the amount they paid him was very small. However, this book caught the attention of Joris-Karl Huysmans, another writer, who praised Villiers's work in his very important novel À rebours.

By this time, Villiers was very ill with stomach cancer. Before he died, he finally married Marie Dantine, which made his beloved son "Totor" legitimate. He is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Villiers's Writings

Villiers's works are often fantastic and filled with mystery and suspense. They are written in the Romantic style, which focuses on emotion and imagination. Some of his most important works include the play Axël (published in 1890), the novel The Future Eve (1886), and the short story collection Contes cruels (1883).

Contes cruels is considered an important collection of horror stories. The Future Eve helped make the word "android" popular. An android is a robot designed to look and act like a human.

Villiers believed that imagination held much more beauty than real life. He thought that nothing in reality could compare to the wonders of the mind.

About the Play Axël

Villiers thought Axël was his greatest work, even though critics often preferred his other stories. He started writing the play around 1869 and had not finished it when he died. It was published after his death in 1890. The play was greatly influenced by the Romantic plays of Victor Hugo, as well as Goethe's Faust and the music dramas of Richard Wagner.

The story takes place in Germany in 1828. It begins on Christmas Eve in a convent, where a wealthy young woman named Sara de Maupers is about to become a nun. When asked if she is ready to accept "light, hope, and life," she says "no" and runs away.

The rest of the play happens at the castle of Axël d'Auersperg, a young nobleman related to Sara. Axël's cousin, Kaspar, has learned that a huge treasure is buried near the castle. He tries to convince Axël to help him find it, but Axël refuses. They argue, and Axël kills Kaspar in a duel.

In the third act, Axël's teacher, Master Janus, prepares to teach Axël about secret knowledge. During this, Axël also says "no" when asked if he is ready to accept "light, hope, and life."

In the fourth act, Axël decides to leave his castle. He goes to his family's crypt to say goodbye to his ancestors. There, he finds Sara, who was led to the castle by an old manuscript that told her where the treasure was.

After they find the treasure, Axël and Sara first argue about it, but then they fall in love. They dream of the wonderful future the treasure could bring them. However, they then decide that their dreams are too grand to be fulfilled in everyday life. They choose to die together as the sun rises. The play's most famous line is Axël's: "Vivre? les serviteurs feront cela pour nous" ("Living? Our servants will do that for us").

Works

• Premières Poésies (early poems, 1859)
• Isis (unfinished novel, 1862)
• Elën (play, 1865)
• Morgane (play, 1866)
• La Révolte (play, 1870)
• Le Nouveau Monde (play, 1880)
• Contes Cruels (stories, 1883; translated as Sardonic Tales or Cruel Tales)
• L'Ève future (novel, 1886; translated as Tomorrow's Eve)
• L'Amour supreme (stories, 1886)
• Tribulat Bonhomet (fiction, including "Claire Lenoir", 1887)
• L'Evasion (play, 1887)
• Histoires insolites (stories, 1888)
• Nouveaux Contes cruels (stories, 1888)
• Chez les passants (stories, journalism, 1890)
• Axël (published after his death, 1890)

See also

In Spanish: Auguste Villiers de L'Isle-Adam para niños