Élisabeth van Rysselberghe (15 October 1890 – 29 July 1980) was a Belgian translator. She was the daughter of Belgian painter

Théo van Rysselberghe Théophile "Théo" van Rysselberghe (23 November 1862 – 13 December 1926) was a Belgian Neo-impressionism, neo-impressionist Painting, painter, who played a pivotal role in the European art scene at the turn of the twentieth century. Bi ...

Biography

Élisabeth van Rysselberghe was born on 15 October 1890 in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. She was the daughter of neo-impressionist painter

and his wife Maria Monnom. As a child, she became acquainted with

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...

, a close friend of her parents, and the two became good friends. Élisabeth had an affair with

Rupert Brooke Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar.) was an En ...

when she was twenty years old, and by 1913 the two might have become lovers "in a complete sense". However, Brooke, who was involved also with other women, died during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the war, in 1920,

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

, Gide's lover, fell in love with Élisabeth. The two had wanted a child, but the wish did not come true. In 1923, Élisabeth gave birth to a child,

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

. The father was André Gide, who at the time was married, and recognised the child only after the death of his wife, adopting her in 1938. Élisabeth had wanted a child "at all costs", while Gide had passed her a note during a trip on the train with friends years before, where he explained that he could not bear to see her or himself childless. Eventually, Élisabeth married French journalist Pierre Herbart in 1931. After her marriage to Herbart, the friendship between the latter and Gide was upset. The two divorced in 1968. She was an avid reader and an excellent translator. She translated

Donald Windham Donald Windham (July 2, 1920 – May 31, 2010) was an American novelist and memoirist. He is perhaps best known for his close friendships with Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Windham moved with his then-boyfriend F ...

and

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...

into French. She translated the Letters of John Keats with

Charles Du Bos Charles Du Bos (27 October 1882 – 5 August 1939) was a French essayist and critic, known for works including ''Approximations'' (1922–37), a seven-volume collection of essays and letters, and for his ''Journal'', an autobiographical work publ ...

, including ''Quatre lettres inédites'' and ''Lettre à John Hamilton Reynolds''. Van Rysselberghe is the French translator of Windham's '' The Dog Star'' (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Canicule'') and '' Emblems of Conduct'' (

: ''Emblèmes d'une vie''). In 1953, her translation of Justin O'Brien's ''Les nourritures terrestres d'André Gide et les Bucoliques de Virgile'' was published. She died on 29 July 1980 in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Works

Author

* ''Lettres à la Petite Dame. Un petit à la campagne (juin 1924 – décembre 1926)''. Edited by Catherine Gide (Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 2000).

Translator

* Keats, John. ''The Letters of John Keats'', with

. * Keats, John. ''Quatre lettres inédites'' in '' La Revue hebdomadaire'', with

(Paris: Plon, 1921). * Keats, John. ''Lettre à John Hamilton Reynolds'' in '' Les Écrits nouveaux'', with

(Paris: Émile-Paul Frères, 1921) * O'Brien, Justin. ''Les nourritures d'André Gide et les Bucoliques de Virgile'' (Boulogne-Billancourt: Editions de la Revue Pretexte, 1953). * Windham, Donald. '' The Dog Star'' (Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1954). * Windham, Donald. '' Emblems of Conduct'' (Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1968).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:van Rysselberghe, Élisabeth 1890 births 1980 deaths Belgian translators People from Brussels