Remy de Gourmont facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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| Notable works | The Book of Masks Esthetique de la langue française Le Problème du style |
Remy de Gourmont (born April 4, 1858 – died September 27, 1915) was a French writer. He was a poet, a novelist, and a very important critic. He was part of the Symbolist movement in art and literature. Many people read his works during his time. He also influenced other famous writers like Blaise Cendrars and Georges Bataille. The spelling Rémy de Gourmont is not correct, even though it is often used.
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Life of Remy de Gourmont
Gourmont was born in Bazoches-au-Houlme, Orne, France. His family was involved in publishing. His father was Count Auguste-Marie de Gourmont. In 1866, his family moved to a large house near Villedieu. This area is close to La Manche.
Early Life and Education
Gourmont studied law in Caen. He earned his law degree in 1879. After finishing his studies, he moved to Paris.
Starting His Career
In 1881, Gourmont started working at the Bibliothèque nationale, which is the national library of France. He also began writing for popular magazines. These included Le Monde and Le Contemporain. He became very interested in old literature. During this time, he met Berthe Courrière. She was a model and later inherited money from a sculptor. Remy and Berthe became very close and lived together for the rest of their lives.
Joining the Symbolist Movement
Gourmont also became friends with the writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. He dedicated his book Le Latin mystique (Mystical Latin) to Huysmans. In 1889, Gourmont helped start the Mercure de France magazine. This magazine became a central point for the Symbolist movement. From 1893 to 1894, he also co-edited L'Ymagier with Alfred Jarry. This magazine focused on Symbolist wood carvings.
In 1891, Gourmont wrote an essay called Le Joujou Patriotisme (Patriotism, a toy). In this essay, he suggested that France and Germany shared a similar culture. He wanted the two countries to become friends. This idea was against what many French nationalists wanted. Because of this essay, he lost his job at the Bibliothèque Nationale.
Later Life and Illness
Around the same time, Gourmont became ill with lupus vulgaris. This is a skin disease that changed his appearance. Because of this, he mostly stayed away from public life. He only appeared at the offices of the Mercure de France. In 1910, Gourmont met Natalie Clifford Barney. He dedicated his book Lettres à l'Amazone (Letters to the Amazon) to her.
Gourmont's health got worse over time. He began to have trouble walking due to a condition called locomotor ataxia. He was very sad when World War I started. He died in Paris in 1915 from a brain issue. Berthe Courrière was his only heir. She inherited many of his writings that had not been published yet. She sent them to his brother, Jean de Gourmont. Berthe died within a year. Gourmont and Courrière are buried together in Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
Remy de Gourmont's Works
Gourmont was a very important literary critic and essay writer. His most famous work in this area is Le Problème du Style (The Problem of Style). This book was written as a response to another book about writing. Le Problème du Style became a key source of ideas for writers in both England and France. Famous writers like T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound admired it greatly.
Poetic Works
Gourmont also wrote poetry. Some of his poetic works include Litanies de la Rose (1892), Les Saintes du Paradis (1898), and Divertissements (1912). His collection Hieroglyphes (1894) explored how sounds and rhythms could be used in poetry. It showed his interest in medieval Latin literature. His works helped create a trend for late Latin literature among other authors. Ezra Pound noted that the English Imagist poetry movement came from the French Symbolistes. T. S. Eliot called Gourmont the "critical conscience of his generation."
See also
In Spanish: Remy de Gourmont para niños
