Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre
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| Born | Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre 19 January 1737 Le Havre, Normandy, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 21 January 1814 (aged 77) Éragny, Seine-et-Oise, France |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | French |
| Period | 18th century |
| Genre | Novel, travel narrative |
| Notable works | Paul et Virginie |
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (born January 19, 1737, died January 21, 1814) was a French writer and expert on plants (a botanist). He is most famous for his book Paul et Virginie, written in 1788. This book was very popular with children in the 1800s.
Contents
A Life of Adventure and Learning
When Jacques-Henri was twelve, he read the famous book Robinson Crusoe. This book inspired him to travel. He went with his uncle, who was a ship captain, to the West Indies.
After this trip, he studied to become an engineer at a school called the École des Ponts. Later, he joined the French Army. He was part of the Seven Years' War, fighting against Prussia and England.
In 1768, he traveled to an island called Mauritius. There, he spent time studying many different plants.
A few years later, in 1771, he became good friends with a famous thinker named Jean-Jacques Rousseau. They even studied plants together around Paris.
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was chosen to be part of the Institut de France in 1795. This is a very important group of experts in France. In 1797, he became the manager of the Botanical Gardens. In 1803, he became a member of the Académie française, another very important French institution.
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was a strong supporter of vegetarianism. He also followed the ideas of thinkers from the Age of Enlightenment, like Voltaire and his friend Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
His Lasting Impact
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's ideas and writings influenced many people. For example, Alexander von Humboldt, a very famous naturalist from the 1800s, admired him. Humboldt especially loved his novel Paul et Virginie.
Main Books and Works
- Voyage à l’Île de France, à l’île Bourbon et au cap de Bonne-Espérance (1773)
- L’Arcadie (1781)
- Études de la nature (1784)
- Paul et Virginie (1788)
- La Chaumière indienne (1790)
- Le Café de Surate (1790)
- Les Vœux d’un solitaire (1790)
- De la nature de la morale (1798)
- Voyage en Silésie (1807)
- La Mort de Socrate (1808)
- Harmonies de la nature (1815)
Images for kids
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A portrait of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre.
See also
In Spanish: Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre para niños
