![Emile Erckmann Alexandre Chatrian](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Emile_Erckmann_Alexandre_Chatrian.jpg)
Alexandre Chatrian (18 December 1826 – 3 September 1890) was a French writer, associated with the region of
Alsace-Lorraine. Almost all of his works were written jointly with
Émile Erckmann
Émile Erckmann (20 May 1822 – 14 March 1899) was a French writer, strongly associated with the region of Alsace-Lorraine. Almost all of his works were written jointly with Alexandre Chatrian under the name Erckmann-Chatrian.
Life
Youth
He w ...
under the name
Erckmann-Chatrian
Erckmann-Chatrian was the name used by French authors Émile Erckmann (1822–1899) and Alexandre Chatrian (1826–1890), nearly all of whose works were jointly written.Mary Ellen Snodgrass, ''Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature''. New York, Facts ...
.
Life
Youth
He was born at
Abreschviller
Abreschviller (; german: Alberschweiler) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
Geography
Abreschviller is a small, long-drawn-out, village in the Vosges mountains, surrounded by vast forests. It is locat ...
(
Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
), in the locality known as ''le Grand Soldat'' (or ''Soldatenthal'' in German). From 1842 he studied in
Phalsbourg
Phalsbourg (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Phalsburch'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, with a population of about 5,000.
It lies high on the west slopes of the Vosges, northwest of Strasbourg by rail. ...
(German Pfalzburg). During 1843 his father's
glassworks
Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass.
Glass container ...
went bankrupt, and the next year he went to Belgium for two years to earn a living as an
accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy.
Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...
, after which he returned to Phalsbourg as a teacher.
He met
Erckmann in 1847, and they became friends, spending the summer in the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
. While staying at Paris, Erckmann witnessed the
Revolution of 1848
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
: inspired, they founded a political ''club'' at Phalsbourg and a short-lived newsletter at
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
. Their politics were republican and nationalist. At the start of the 1850s they began publishing in
''Le Démocrate du Rhin'', expecting quick success, but after several years they became disillusioned. A play performed at Strasbourg in 1850, ''L'Alsace en 1814'', was banned after just two performances. When he lost his teaching post, Erckmann persuaded him to move to Paris, where in 1852 he took a job as rail administrator the ''Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est''.
Success
Recognition came in 1859 and they became well known as fantasy writers under the pseudonym of Émile Erckmann-Chatrian. They moved together to Paris, where they lived close to the east railway station and returned frequently to
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
. In 1868 the publisher Hetzel bought exclusive rights to their work, and in May 1869 Chatrian purchased a property at
Raincy
Le Raincy () is a prestigious commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Le Raincy is a subprefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Le Raincy.
Its popul ...
. He began a relationship with Adélaïde Riberon, by whom he had two sons.
His father, Jean-Baptiste, died on 13 July 1870. He married Riberon in February 1871.
During August 1870, Erckmann was at Phalsbourg at the time of
Mac-Mahon
Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893) was a French general and politician, with the distinction of Marshal of France. He served as Chief of State of France from 1873 to 1 ...
's defeat. With the
Franco-Prussian War, the works of the two ''lorrains'' gained a popularity which was closely related to nationalistic desires for revenge and nostalgia for the "blue line of the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
."
From 1872, Erckmann spent most of his time on the novels while Chatrian busied himself with their plays: it is likely that the joint pseudonym was now appearing on works that were no longer jointly written. In September, Erckmann moved into a house at
Saint-Dié, and the following year he went on a tour of the eastern
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
. Political entanglements started to make life difficult for the two ardent republicans. In 1880 a play by Chatrian, ''Alsace ou les fiancés d’Alsace'', was banned by a republican minister.
Later years
In 1884 Chatrian retired from his position at the railway company and moved to
Villemomble
Villemomble () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Heraldry
Transport
Villemomble is served by Le Raincy – Villemomble – Montfermeil station on Paris RER line E.
Demogr ...
; the next year, his play ''Myrtille'' failed and he moved again to
Saint-Dié. From this point on, his mental health began to deteriorate.
The last work signed Erckmann-Chatrian was ''L’Art et les grands idéalistes'' (1885).
In 1886 Erckmann refused to sign a new contract that had been negotiated by Chatrian with their publisher, Hetzel. On 13 March 1887, Chatrian, who was battling mental illness, wrote to Erckmann that he was paying
ghost-writer
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
s out of their common royalties. This was the end of their association and their friendship.
On 19 August 1889, Chatrian's former secretary published an article in ''
Le Figaro
''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...
'' attacking Erckmann, who responded with a lawsuit. About this time, the desperately ill Chatrian lost his reason entirely. Erckmann's
visa
Visa most commonly refers to:
*Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company
** Visa Debit card issued by the above company
** Visa Electron, a debit card
** Visa Plus, an interbank network
*Travel visa, a document that allows ...
expired; no longer allowed to reside in his home town, he moved to
Lunéville
Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle.
It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze.
History
Lun ...
.
Chatrian died on 3 September 1890 in
Villemomble
Villemomble () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Heraldry
Transport
Villemomble is served by Le Raincy – Villemomble – Montfermeil station on Paris RER line E.
Demogr ...
.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatrian, Alexandre
1826 births
1890 deaths
People from Moselle (department)
French fantasy writers
Fabulists
19th-century French novelists
French male novelists
French male short story writers
19th-century French short story writers
19th-century French male writers