Joseph Joubert (; 6 May 1754 in Montignac, Périgord – 4 May 1824 in Paris) was a

French moralist In French literature, the moralists (french: moralistes) were a tradition of secular writers who described "personal, social and political conduct", typically through maxims. The tradition is associated with the salons of the ''Ancien Régime'' f ...

and essayist, remembered today largely for his ''Pensées'' (''Thoughts''), which were published posthumously.

Biography

From the age of fourteen Joubert attended a religious college in Toulouse, where he later taught until 1776. In 1778 he went to Paris where he met D'Alembert and

Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominen ...

, amongst others, and later became a friend of a young writer and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, Chateaubriand. He alternated between living in Paris with his friends and life in the privacy of the countryside in

Villeneuve-sur-Yonne Villeneuve-sur-Yonne () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. It is surrounded by a partly intact wall, built during the 12th century, which was one of the 8 residences of the French kings. Ge ...

. He was appointed inspector-general of universities under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Joubert published nothing during his lifetime, but he wrote a copious number of letters and filled sheets of paper and small notebooks with thoughts about the nature of human existence, literature, and other topics, in a poignant, often aphoristic style. After his death his widow entrusted Chateaubriand with these notes, and in 1838, he published a selection titled, ''Recueil des pensées de M. Joubert'' (''Collected Thoughts of Mr. Joubert''). More complete editions were to follow, as were collections of Joubert's correspondence. Somewhat of the Epicurean school of philosophy, Joubert even valued his own frequent suffering of ill health, as he believed sickness gave subtlety to the soul. Joubert's works have been translated into numerous languages. In 1866 "Some of the 'Thoughts' of Joseph Joubert" were translated by George H. Calvert. A later English translation version was made by Paul Auster. Matthew Arnold in his Critical Essays devotes a section to Joubert.

Quotes

*''There are some acts of justice which corrupt those who perform them.''

Principal editions

*''Recueil des pensées de M. Joubert'', published by Chateaubriand, Le Normant, Paris, 1838
Text online
*''Pensées, essais, maximes et correspondance de J. Joubert'', preface by Paul Raynal, Le Normant, Paris, 1850 ; 1861
Text on line
*''Pensées'', introduction and noted by Victor Giraud, Bloud, Paris, 1909 *''Carnets'', texts collected by André Beaunier, Gallimard, Paris, 1938 ; 1994 *''Correspondance de

Louis de Fontanes Louis-Marcelin, marquis de Fontanes (6 March 175717 March 1821) was a French poet and politician. Biography Born in Niort (Deux-Sèvres), he belonged to a noble Protestant family of Languedoc which had been reduced to poverty by the revocation of ...

et de Joseph Joubert : (1785-1819)'', Plon, Paris, 1943 *''Pensées et Lettres'', organized by Raymond Dumay and Maurice Andrieux, Grasset, 1954 *''Pensées'', selected texts presented by Raymond Dumay, Club français du livre, 1954 *''Essais : 1779-1821'', complete critical version by Rémy Tessonneau, A.G. Nizet, Paris, 1983

References

External links

*
Joubert's works
at

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

(in French)
Review of translations by Paul Auster
*English translations o
Joubert's works
at Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Joubert, Joseph 1754 births 1824 deaths French male essayists People from Dordogne