Amélie Rose Françoise Gex (October 24, 1835 in La Chapelle-Blanche, Savoie – June 16, 1883 in

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...

) was a

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

ard writer and poet who created works in French and

Franco-Provençal Franco-Provençal (also Francoprovençal, Patois or Arpitan) is a Gallo-Romance languages, Gallo-Romance language that originated and is spoken in eastern France, western Switzerland, and northwestern Italy. Franco-Provençal has several di ...

(Arpitan). Until 1880, she published most of her writings under the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

Dian de la Jeânna.

Biography

Amélie Gex was the daughter of the physician and winemaker Marc-Samuel Gex. Her mother died when she was 4 years old. She first lived in

then Challes-les-Eaux with her grandmother. At fourteen, she moved back to La Chapelle-Blanche with her father. Upon the formation of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

in 1861, Gex, like many Liberals who preferred the Italian Cavour to

Napoleon III of France 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 a series of m ...

, supported King

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...

. She later became Republican, and entered politics, writing speeches in dialect to better speak to rural voters. Gex began writing during the years 1872–75. After the death of her father in 1876, she operated her family's estate, then returned to live in Chambéry, where she lived modestly. In 1877, the Republican newspaper ''Le Père André'' began publishing her poetry under the

Dian de la Jeânna ("John son of Jane"). She continued publishing under this name in ''Le Père André'' from March 1879 until May 1880, then in ''L'Indicateur savoisien'' from 1879 to 1882.Site Sabaudia.org Her poems are devoted to vineyards, farmers and the Savoy. They evoke the harvest, threshing with a flail, and the cycles of nature that motivate people to work. Gex also wrote short stories. In "Dit de la couleuvre" ("Tale of the Snake"), she reworks the story of the

Queen of Sheba The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqis in Arabic and as Makeda in Geʽez, is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for Solomon, the fourth King of Israel and Judah. This a ...

, who rode a flying serpent to marry

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

. In "Dit du Château mort" ("Tale of Castle Death"), she evokes a pagan country castle near

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

haunted by a flaming sword turning in the air. Deciding that politics should give way to work, she also strove to write stories in French to expand her readership. In 1882, she was honored by the Academy of Savoy for her work. She died of an illness in 1883.

Selected works

* 1878, ''Le long de l'An, chansons en patois savoyard, avec la traduction française en regard'', Imp. C.-P. Ménard, Chambéry * 1879, ''Reclans de Savoué'', Les Echos de Savoie, Imp. C.-P. Ménard, Chambéry * 1880, ''Poésies'', Imp. C.-P. Ménard, Chambéry * 1882, ''Lo cent ditons de Pierre d'Emo'', Imp. C.-P. Ménard, Chambéry * 1882, ''À une âme sincère'', Imp. C.-P. Ménard, Chambéry * 1885, ''Vieilles gens et vieilles choses : Histoire de ma rue de mon village'', quatre contes * 1894, ''Feuilles mortes'', Imp. C.-P. Ménard, Chambéry * 1898, ''Fables'', Imp. C.-P. Ménard, Chambéry

Bibliography

* Charles Buet (1889), ''Le Parnasse contemporain savoyard'', Thonon: Charles Buet & Impremerie de la Société Anonyme de l'Union Chablaisienne. * Jolanda (1909), ''Il bardo della Savoia (Amélie Gex)'', Lugano: Casa editrice del « Coenobium ». * F. Vermale (1923), ''Un Poète Savoyard, Amélie Gex (1835-1883). Notes biographiques et correspondance'', Chambéry: Librairie Dardel, Chambéry. * David Oscar (1926), ''Amélie Gex'', Éditions revues du Lac d'Annecy. * Augusta Abry (1942), ''Notre patois et nos poètes patoisants'', Rumilly: Éd. J. Ducret * Amis d'Amélie Gex (1955), ''Vieilles gens et vieilles choses : histoires de ma rue et de mon village. Amélie Gex'', préf. Henry Bordeaux, Paris: Éd. Jean Portail * Amélie Gex, trad. Armanda Grazini (1989), ''Vecchia gente e vecchie cose : storie della mia strada e del mio villaggio'', Siena: Siena - universita. * Philippe Terreaux (1990), ''La Savoie jadis et naguère : d'Amélie Gex à Henry Bordeaux'', Geneva: Éditions Slatkine, 201 pages. * Valentina Gosetti (2023), ' Under Ideal Conditions: ''Provincializing'' the 'French' Poetic Canon with Amélie Gex (1835–1883)', ''French Studies Bulletin'', Volume 44, Issue 167-168, Autumn 2023, Pages 48–62.

References

External links

Works online

"Dian de la Jeânna" (Amélie Gex, 1878), ''Le long de l'An : Chansons en payois sayoyard''
BnF Gallica
"Dian de la Jeânna" (Amélie Gex, 1879), ''Reclans de Savoué''
BnF Gallica
Amélie Gex (1880), ''Poésies''
BnF Gallica
Amélie Gex (1885), ''Vieilles gens et vieilles choses : histoires de ma rue et de mon village''
BnF Gallica

Biography

Selected works

Bibliography

References

External links

Works online

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