Camille Doucet (16 May 1812 in Paris – 1 April 1895 in Paris) was a French poet and playwright.

Biography

Camille Doucet was born on 16 May, 1812, in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. He was a solicitor's clerk and notary, the secretary of Baron Fain in the cabinet of

King Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...

, then the general manager of theater administration at the ministry of the Emperor's Household in 1863. Several times a candidate for the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, he was elected a member in 1865 and was the permanent secretary from 1876. As Manager of Theater Administration, in 1867 Camille Doucet authorized the café-concerts "to use costumes, cross-dressing; to perform plays, to have interludes of dance and acrobatics"; these measures would support the further development of large venues, such as the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

or the Olympia. Although

Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...

complained of him, he had a reputation for honesty and kindness; the memoirs of

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

show that he supported her debuts at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

and gave her entry to the Odéon. Camille Doucet was the author of several poems and numerous plays:

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

, comedies in verse. While some of them were met in their time with success, they are now largely forgotten. Doucet died on 1 April, 1895, at the age of 82, in

Works

Theater * ''A Young Man, a comedy-drama in three acts, in verse, Paris'', théâtre de l'Odéon, 29 November 1841 * ''The Advocate of His Cause, a comedy in one act and in verse'', Paris, théâtre de l'Odéon, 5 February 1842 * ''The Baron de Lafleur, or the Last Valets, a comedy in three acts and in verse'', Paris, théâtre de l'Odéon, 13 December 1842 * ''Hunting Scoundrels, a comedy in three acts and in verse'', Paris, Théâtre-Français, 27 February 1846 * ''The Last Banquet of 1847, comedy-revue in tables 3 and verse'', Paris, théâtre de l'Odéon, 30 December 1847 * ''Enemies of the house, a comedy in three acts, in verse'', Paris, Second Théâtre-Français, 6 December 1850 * ''The Forbidden Fruit, comedy in verse'', Paris, Théâtre-Français, 23 November 1857 * ''The Consideration, a comedy in four acts in verse'', Paris, Théâtre-Français, 6 November 1860 Collected Works * ''Comedies in verse'' (1858) Volume 1: ''The Forbidden Fruit, Enemies of the House, Hunting Scoundrels.'' Volume 2: ''The Baron de Lafleur, The Advocate of his Cause, A Young Man and speech in verse.'' * ''Complete Works'' (1874)

Historical sources

Octave Pradels Octave Pradels (15 February 1842 – 30 April 1930) was a French poet, novelist, vaudevilliste and lyricist. Biography Octave Frederick Pradels published his first monologues, tales in verse and songs in 1883. Among his greatest successes ...

, ''Thirty Years of the Café-Concert: Memories of Paulus (collected, 300 illustrations, 60 songs)'', Paris, Société d'édition et de publications, 460 p. * The personal papers of Camille Doucet are kept in the National Archives in document 487AP

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doucet, Camille 1812 births 1895 deaths Writers from Paris 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights Members of the Académie Française Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French male poets 19th-century French poets 19th-century French male writers