Murger, Henri (1822-1861)

Murger, Henri

NOVELIST, POET (FRANCE)

BORN 24 Mar 1822, Paris - DIED 28 Jan 1861, Paris
GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière de Montmartre, 20 Avenue Rachel (division 05)

Henri Burger was the son of an immigrant who worked as a taylor. He left school when he was 15 years old and had several jobs before he was employed in a lawyer's office. He started writing poetry that was noticed by Étienne de Jouy. De Jouy helped him to the position of secretary to the nobleman Count Tolstoi. In 1841 he started writing political essays, but soon he turned to everything that would earn him something. His health was poor and he was bald from an early age.

The author Jules Champleury advised him to write fiction and he was successful with Scènes de la vie de bohème (1847-1849) after is was adapted for the stage. The first performance was on 22 November 1849 at the Théâtre des Variétés. Puccini's opera "La bohème" was based on this work.

Murger lived in a country house outisde of Paris for most of the next decade, suffering from health issues and financial problems. In 1859 he received the Légion d'honneur. His ill health continued and he died in a hospital in Paris before the money arrived that was sent by Count Walewski to pay for his medical expenses. The government paid for his funeral at the Montmartre Cemetery.

Related persons
• was a friend of Goncourt, Edmond de
• was a friend of Goncourt, Jules Alfred de
• was influenced by Musset, Alfred de

Images

The grave of Henry Murger at the Cimetière Montmartre, Paris.
Picture by Androom (20 Feb 2016)