Méry, Joseph |
| POET, PLAYWRIGHT, NOVELIST, JOURNALIST (FRANCE) |
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BORN 21 Jan 1797, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône - DIED 17 Jun 1866, Paris GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière de Montmartre, 20 Avenue Rachel (division 28) |
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Joseph Méry studied at the lycée Thiers in Marseille. He was opposed to the return of Napoleon in 1815 but after the witnessed the terror after Napoleon's fall he joined the Bonapartists. After he wrote a satirical verse he was imprisoned for three months in 1820. In 1824 in Paris he met Auguste Bartholomew and together they wrote satires like "Sidiennes, la Villéliade". In 1830 he published his first novel "Le Bonnet Vert" and his first play was "La Bataille de Toulouse" (1836). He took part in the revolution of 1830 and fought at the barricades. But soon he was disappointed with the new regime. He went to Italy to visit queen Hortense and other members of the imperial family and wrote about this in 1834 and 1837. In 1836 he founded the chess review Le Palamède. He left politics and produced plays in Paris. Together with Gérard de Nerval he adapted pieces by Shakespeare. He also translated librettos for operas by Verdi. For his friend Jacques Offenbach he wrote three librettos. He was addicted to gambling and often travelled abroad because gambling houses were forbidden in France at the time. Napoleon III awarded him a pension. He died in 1866 in Paris. Related persons • helped Gozlan, Léon • cooperated with Nerval, Gérard de • cooperated with Offenbach, Jacques |
| Images |
 The grave of Joseph Méry at the Cimetière Montmartre, Paris. Picture by Androom (20 Feb 2016) |
