Ernesta Stern, born Maria Ernesta Hierschel de Minerbi, also known as Maria Star, (December 8, 1854 – 1926) was an Italian-born French author. She wrote many Venetian tales and novels. She held a salon in Paris and she was awarded the knighthood of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

. Her Villa Torre Clementina in

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (; oc, Ròcabruna Caup Martin or ; it, Roccabruna-Capo Martino, ; Mentonasc: ''Rocabrüna''; Roquebrune until 1921) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Southeastern Fr ...

is an official historical monument.

Early life

Ernesta Stern was born on December 8, 1854 in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

, Italy. Her father was Leone de Hierschel (son of Moisè Hierschel and Rachele Vivante) and her mother, Clementina de Minerbi (daughter of Caliman de Minerbi and Chiara di Angeli). She was Jewish.

Career

Stern wrote Venetian tales as well as novels. For example, her 1916 novel ''Le Baptême du courage'' is about World War I. Stern held a

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

in Paris. One of her guests was Italian poet

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist, and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye d ...

. She was friends with

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...

. Stern became a knight of the

in 1920.

Personal life, death and legacy

Stern married Louis Stern, a banker and a member of the

Stern family The Stern family is a Jewish French banking family originally from Frankfurt. It traces back to Samuel Hayum Stern (1760–1819), who in the 1780s became a wine merchant in Frankfurt. His son, Jacob Samuel Heyum Stern, started a banking business, ...

. They resided at 68

Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré () is a street located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Relatively narrow and nondescript, especially in comparison to the nearby Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is cited as being one of the most luxu ...

in Paris. She was widowed in 1900, and she built the Villa Torre Clementina in

in 1904. Stern died in 1926. Her house in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is listed as an official historical monument by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...

Works

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References

1854 births 1926 deaths Writers from Trieste Writers from Paris People from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin French women novelists 20th-century French novelists Knights of the Legion of Honour 19th-century Italian Jews Jewish women writers 20th-century French women writers Stern family (banking) {{France-novelist-19thC-stub