Arnaud Berquin (September 1747 in Bordeaux – 21 December 1791) was a French children's author. His most famous work was '' L'Ami des Enfants'' (1782-1783) which was first translated into English, albeit

bowdlerised Expurgation, also known as bowdlerization, is a form of censorship that involves purging anything deemed noxious or offensive from an artistic work or other type of writing or media. The term ''bowdlerization'' is a pejorative term for the practi ...

, by Mary Stockdale and published in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

''The Looking-glass for the Mind, Or, Intellectual Mirror: Being an Elegant Collection of the Most Delightful Little Stories and Interesting Tales'' in 1783-1784 by Mary's father

John Stockdale John Stockdale (25 March 1750Probable – Stockdale (2005) p. 117 – 21 June 1814) was an English publisher whose London shop became a salon for the political classes and who had to face two actions for defamation. One by the House of Commons b ...

. The work remained popular until the middle of the nineteenth century. Berquin's stories consisted of events that might happen to children in their everyday lives—they did not contain

fairy tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

or other imaginative literature. His books envision childhood reading as a familial exercise; for example, some of his "stories" are actually plays with parts for every member of the family. Berquin's books helped solidify the creation of the nuclear family, for "if Berquin's work has a theme, it is that parents and children live in a perfect symbiosis, the parents looking after their children's interests and the children, if behaving properly, filling their parents with joy."Introductory essay to ''L'Ami des Enfans''
. Retrieved on 8 June 2007.

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''L'Ami des Enfans'' (1782)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berquin, Arnaud Writers from Bordeaux 1747 births 1791 deaths French children's writers 18th-century French male writers 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights