Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux facts for kids
Gédéon Tallemant, Sieur des Réaux (born November 7, 1619 – died November 6, 1692) was a French writer. He is best known for his book Historiettes, which is a collection of short biographies about famous people of his time.
About Gédéon Tallemant
Gédéon Tallemant was born in a city called La Rochelle, France. His family was wealthy and belonged to the Huguenot faith, which was a group of French Protestants. In 1650, he bought a small property, and that's where the name des Réaux came from.
When he was about 18, Gédéon traveled to Italy with his brother. After returning to Paris, he studied law. His father helped him get a job as a conseiller au parlement, which was a legal position. However, Gédéon didn't really like this job.
To find another way to earn money, he married his cousin, Elisabeth de Rambouillet. Through his family connections, he was introduced to the famous Hôtel de Rambouillet. This was a very important meeting place for writers and thinkers in Paris.
His Famous Book: Historiettes
At the Hôtel de Rambouillet, Gédéon Tallemant met many interesting people. He also heard many stories about the reigns of King Henry IV and King Louis XIII. These stories were very valuable for understanding history.
The people he met at the Hôtel de Rambouillet gave him a lot to write about. He was very good at observing people and noticing their unique traits. In his book Historiettes, he created detailed descriptions of many famous figures. These included writers like Vincent Voiture, Jean Louis Guez de Balzac, Malherbe, and Jean Chapelain. Other well-known people like Blaise Pascal and Jean de la Fontaine also appear in his work. He also wrote about the interesting events and people like Ninon de l'Enclos.
The Historiettes is a very important book for understanding the literature and society of that time. Many people agree that his descriptions were accurate.
In 1685, Gédéon Tallemant changed his religion and became a Catholic. After this, he received a pension, which was a regular payment of money. He passed away in Paris.
What He Wrote
Gédéon Tallemant was also a poet and contributed to a collection of poems called Guirlande de Julie. However, he is mostly remembered for his Historiettes.
For a long time, his Historiettes stayed as handwritten papers. It wasn't until 1834 that the book was finally published. Later, new editions were released, making his work available to more readers.
