Jean-Louis Dubut De Laforest

Jean-Louis Dubut de Laforest (24 July 1853 – 3 April 1902) was a French author. He was a prolific writer, and published many novels on topics that were considered daring for the times, some of which were serialized in the press.

Life

Jean-Louis Dubut de Laforest was born in Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, Dordogne on 24 July 1853.
He attended secondary schools in Périgueux and Limoges.
After studying law, Jean-Louis Laforest Dubut became an advocate and editor of the newspaper ''L'Avenir de la Dordogne''.
He was appointed prefectorial counselor in Beauvais, Oise, in 1879, but resigned in 1882 and devoted himself to literature.
He wrote many novels and plays, and contributed to ''Le Figaro'' under the pseudonym "Jean Tolbiac".

Dubut de Laforest was a member of ''Le Chat Noir'' and of the theatrical and artistic circle ''Gardénia'', founded by Paul Fabre.
He published a number of novels that were based on the scientific discoveries of his time, and also novels of manners: ''Les Dames de Lameth'', ''Tête à l'envers'', ''La Crucifiée'', ''Le Rêve d'un viveur'', ''Un américain de Paris'', ''Belle-maman'', ''La Baronne Emma'', ''Contes à la paresseuse'', ''Les Dévorants de Paris'', ''Le Gaga'', ''La Bonne à tout-faire'', ''Le Cornac'', ''Mademoiselle de Marbeuf'' and ''Contes à la lune''.

In ''Le Faiseur d'hommes'' (The Maker of Men) (1884), Dubut de Laforest treated the problem of artificial insemination of a woman for the first time in the history of literature.
He addressed realities such as the existence of homosexual circles in Paris in ''La Vierge du trottoir'' and ''Esthètes et cambrioleurs''.
He broke literary taboos. When he published ''Le Gaga'' in 1885 he was prosecuted for obscenity before the court of Assizes.
The author was sentenced to a fine of 1,000 francs and two months in prison.
Collected in the thirty-seven volume series ''Derniers Scandales de Paris'' (1898–1900), his novels of manners depicted a whole parallel world of prostitutes, pimps and bad boys.
He was called "an anticlerical and obscene novelist" by a conservative critic.
He shared with other authors the distinction of being placed in the "inferno" of the National Library.

Despite his success, Dubut de Laforest committed suicide on 3 April 1902.

Works

''Les Derniers Scandales de Paris'', 37 volumes, éditions Fayard, 1898–1900, included the following titles:

* ''La Vierge du trottoir''
*''Les Souteneurs en habit noir''
* ''La Grande Horizontale''
*''Le Dernier Gigolo''
* ''Madame Don Juan''
* ''Le Caissier du tripot''
* ''Le Docteur Mort-aux-gosses''
* ''Le Tartuffe-Paillard''
* ''Les Victimes de la débauche''
* ''Ces Dames au salon et à la mer''
*''Les Écuries d'Augias''
* ''Agathe-la-Goule''
* ''Esthètes et cambrioleurs''
*''Un Bandit amoureux''
* ''La Brocante''
* ''Per' Mich
* ''Maîtresses et amants''
* ''Faiseurs et gogos''
* ''Haute galanterie''
*''Le Lanceur de femmes''
* ''Les Petites Rastas''
* ''Farabinas''
* ''La Demoiselle de magasin''
* ''Robes et manteaux''
* ''Peau-de-balle et balais-de-crin''
* ''Le Coiffeur pour dames''
* ''Travail et volupté''
* ''Le Nouveau Commis voyageur''
* ''L'Homme de joie''
* ''La Marmite d'or''
* ''Mademoiselle de Marbeuf''
* ''Morphine'': describes the downfall of a man who is addicted to drugs
* ''Cloé de Haut-Brion''
* ''La Môme réséda''
* ''La Bombe''
* ''Rédemption''

References

Citations

Sources

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Further reading

* Edmond Hippeau, ''L'affaire du « Gaga »'', Paris, E. Dentu, 1886.
* Charles Grivel, « Pathologie sociale et tératologie littéraire. Dubut de Laforest », in ''Relecture des « petits » naturalistes'', actes du colloque, 9, 10, 11 December 1999, RITM, hors-série, Université Paris-X, 2000, p. 303-324.
* Arnould de Liedekerke, ''La Belle Époque de l'opium'', Paris, Éditions de la Différence, 1984, p., 107-109 and 220-222.
* Jean de Palacio, « De la nymphomanie dans quelques romans fin-de-siècle », ''Le Roman libertin et le roman érotique'', actes du colloque de Chaudfontaine, 9, 10, 11 November 2002, Les Cahiers des paralittératures 9, Liège, Édition du Céfal, 2005, p. 157-167; reprinted in ''Configurations décadentes'', Louvain, Peeters, 2007, p. 203-214.

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubut de Laforest, Jean-Louis
1853 births
1902 deaths

19th-century French male writers
1902 suicides
Suicides in France