Antoine de Léris (

Mont-Louis Mont-Louis (; or ''el Vilar d'Ovansa'') is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Geography Mont-Louis is located in the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes and in the arrondissement of Prades. Mont-Louis-La Cab ...

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; ca, Rosselló ; oc, Rosselhon ) is a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the reg ...

, 28 February 1723 — 1795) was a French journalist and

drama critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

of the 18th century and a historian of the French theatre, author of the ''Dictionnaire portatif historique et littéraire des théâtres, contenant l'origine des differens théâtres de Paris'', ("Portable historical and literary dictionary of theatres, containing the origins of the various theatres of Paris"), published without the author's name on the title page by Jombert in Paris in 1754.The corrected and augmented second edition, 1763, is a standard work of theatre history, a "library" of information. "Léris is accounted by many commentators very nearly the equal of

François François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, Kin ...

and

Claude Parfaict Claude Parfaict, (Paris, c.1701 – 26 June 1777) was an 18th-century French theatre historian. François Parfaict's younger brother, Claude had for theatre the same passion as his brother. Claude's most notable works were collaborations with Fr ...

when it comes to painstaking accuracy and responsible commentary," William Brooks observes. Antoine de Léris supported himself as a

man of letters An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

with a sinecure purchased at the ''

Chambre des comptes Under the French monarchy, the Courts of Accounts (in French ''Chambres des comptes'') were sovereign courts specialising in financial affairs. The Court of Accounts in Paris was the oldest and the forerunner of today's French Court of Audit. ...

'', as ''premier huissier'' ("first usher"). Collaborating with abbé

Marc-Antoine Laugier Marc-Antoine Laugier (Manosque, Provence, January 22, 1713 – Paris, April 5, 1769) was a Jesuit priest until 1755 than a Benedictine monk. He was one of the first architectural theorist. Laugier is best known for his ''Essay on Architectur ...

and Antoine Jacques Labbet, abbé de Morambert, he edited the first French review of music, ''Sentiment d'un harmonophile sur différents ouvrages de musique'' ("Views of a lover of harmony on different works of music") "Amsterdam", i.e. Paris:Jombert, 1756. Léris has been credited as the anonymous author of ''La géographie rendu aisée, ou traitée méthodique pour apprendre la géographie'' ("Geography rendered easy, or methodical treaty for learning geography"), Paris, 1753. He also took part in ''Après-soupers de la campagne ou, Recueil d'Histoires courrantes et amusantes'' ("Country after-dinner evenings, or collection of current and amusing tales"), 1759 and 1764.

Friedrich Melchior Grimm Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm (26 September 172319 December 1807) was a German-born French-language journalist, art critic, diplomat and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers' ...

didn't think much of the second collection: "The author claims that the public received his work with indulgence. If perfect oblivion may so be called, the author is right to be grateful".''L'auteur prétend que le public reçut alors son ouvrage avec indulgence. Si le parfait oubli peut s'appeler ainsi, l'auteur a raison d'être reconnaissant'' (Grimm, ''Correspondance littéraire, philosophique et critique'' February 1763).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leris, Antoine de 1723 births 1795 deaths People from Pyrénées-Orientales French theatre critics French music critics French male non-fiction writers