Émile de Saint-Amand Deschamps (; 20 February 179123 April 1871) was a French

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. He was born at

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

. The son of a civil servant, he adopted his father's career, but as early as 1812 he distinguished himself by an ode, ''La Paix conquise'', which won the praise of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. In 1818 he collaborated with

Henri de Latouche Hyacinthe-Joseph Alexandre Thabaud de Latouche, commonly known as Henri de Latouche (2 February 1785 – 9 March 1851) was a French poet and novelist known for his publication of André Chénier and early encouragement of George Sand. (His ...

in two verse comedies, ''Selmours de Florian'' and ''Le Tour de faveur''. Deschamps and his brother Antoine François Marie were among the most enthusiastic disciples of the

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

, and Deschamps was one of the chiefs of the Romantic school. To further the cause of romanticism he founded with Victor Hugo ''La Muse Française'' (1824), a journal to which he contributed verses and stories signed "Le Jeune Moraliste." Four years afterward he collected and published ''Etudes française et étrangères'' (1828), consisting of poems and translations. He published ''La paix conquise'' (1812), an ode which won the praise of

; ''Contes physiologiques'' (1854); and ''Réalités fantastiques'' (1854). His ''Œuvres Complètes'' were published in six volumes (1872–74). He wrote the text for the choral symphony ''Roméo et Juliette'' composed by

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

in 1839. He also collaborated with

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart and Richard Wa ...

and

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

on the libretti of

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836. Composition history '' ...

(1836) and

Le prophète ''Le prophète'' (''The Prophet'') is a grand opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, which was premiered in Paris on 16 April 1849. The French-language libretto was by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, after passages from the ''Essay on the ...

(1849).

References

1791 births 1871 deaths Writers from Bourges 19th-century French journalists French male journalists 19th-century French poets Burials at the Cemetery of Notre-Dame, Versailles French male poets 19th-century French male writers {{France-poet-stub

See also

References