Léon Bazalgette

Maurice Léon Bazalgette (8 May 1873 – 31 December 1928) was a French literary critic, biographer and translator. His translations of the works of

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

introduced Whitman to the French public. In 1905, through

Émile Verhaeren Émile Adolphe Gustave Verhaeren (; 21 May 1855 – 27 November 1916) was a Belgian poet and art critic who wrote in the French language. He was one of the founders of the school of Symbolism and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Litera ...

, he became acquainted with

Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig (; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist, and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular write ...

. Zweig recounts their friendship in his memoir, ''

The World of Yesterday ''The World of Yesterday: Memoires of a European'' (German title ''Die Welt von Gestern: Erinnerungen eines Europäers'') is the memoir of Austrian writer Stefan Zweig. It has been called the most famous book on the Habsburg Empire.Giorgio Man ...

''. In 1908, he published a biography of Walt Whitman, "Whitman, the man and the work". In 1909, he published a translation of '' Leaves of Grass''. In 1924 he published a biography of

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

, ''Henry Thoreau, Sauvage''. Bazalgette frequented the

Abbaye de Créteil L'Abbaye de Créteil or Abbaye group (french: Le Groupe de l'Abbaye) was a utopian artistic and literary community founded during the month of October, 1906. It was named after the Créteil Abbey, as most gatherings took place in that suburb of Pa ...

, a community of artists founded by

Georges Duhamel Georges Duhamel (; ; 30 June 1884 – 13 April 1966) was a French author, born in Paris. Duhamel trained as a doctor, and during World War I was attached to the French Army. In 1920, he published '' Confession de minuit'', the first of a serie ...

and

Charles Vildrac Charles Vildrac (November 22, 1882 – June 25, 1971), born "Charles Messager",''1971 Britannica Book of the Year'' (for events of 1971), "Obituaries 1971" article, page 532, "Vildrac, Charles" item was a French libertarian playwright, poet a ...

. He wrote for '' Clarté'', ''

La Vie Ouvrière LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'', and from 1926 to 1928 he had a column in communist newspaper ''

L'Humanité ''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist." History and profile Pre-World Wa ...

''. He is buried in the cemetery of

Avernes-sous-Exmes Avernes-sous-Exmes (, literally ''Avernes under Exmes'') is a former commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Gouffern en Auge.French literary critics 20th-century French translators 1873 births 1928 deaths