Barthélemy Imbert (16 March 1747 – 23 August 1790) was an 18th-century French playwright, poet and novelist.
After his studies in his home town,
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...
, Imbert moved to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
where he made his reputation with ''The Judgment of Pâris'', a
poem
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
in four songs in verses of ten syllables, published in 1772. A clever plan, a pleasant facility, a graceful elegance, made a quick success to this work. The author then wrote
comedies
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Gr ...
, tragedies,
novels
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of '' ...
, fables and tales in verse and prose, which fell into oblivion.
Works
*1770: ''Poinsinet et Molière, dialogue dédié à M. Piron''
*1771: ''Thérèse Danet à Euphémie,
héroïde
A ''héroïde'' is a term in French literature for a letter in verse, written under the name of a hero or famous author, derived from the ''Heroides'' by Ovid. It was invented by Charles-Pierre Colardeau. The ''héroïde'' is a form of tragedy und ...
''
*1772: ''Le Jugement de Pâris, poëme en VI chants. Œuvres mêlées, pièces fugitives, fables''
*1773: ''Fables nouvelles, dédiées à Madame la Dauphine''
*1773: ''Élégie sur la mort de M. Piron''
*1774: ''Historiettes, ou Nouvelles en vers''
*1774: ''Lettre d'une religieuse à la Reine''
*1776: ''Les Bienfaits du sommeil, ou les Quatre rêves accomplis'', poème en quatre chants
Text online
/small>
*1776: ''Les Égaremens de l'amour, ou Lettres de Fanéli et de Milfort'', 2 vol.
*1777: ''Œuvres poétiques'', 2 vol.
*1782: ''Lecture du matin, ou Nouvelles historiettes en prose''
*1783: ''Lectures variées, ou Bigarrures littéraires''
*1788: ''Choix de fabliaux mis en vers'', 2 vol.
*1806: ''Contes moraux', 2 vol.
;Theatre
*1777: ''Gabrielle de Passi'', parody of Gabrielle de Vergi, in 1 act, in prose and in vaudevilles, with Louis d'Ussieux, Théâtre italien de Paris, 30 August.
*1778: ''Fanéli, ou les Égaremens de l'amour'', five-act drama
*1779: ''Le Lord anglois et le chevalier françois'', comedy in one act and in free verse, Théâtre italien de Paris, 23 December
*1781: ''Le Jaloux sans amour'', comedy in 5 acts and in free verse, Théâtre italien de Paris, 8 January
*1782: ''L'Inauguration du Théâtre français'', one-act play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...
in verse, Théâtre-Français, 9 April
*1789: ''La Fausse apparence, ou le Jaloux malgré lui'', comedy in 3 acts and in verse, Théâtre-Français, 24 April Text online
/small>
*1781: ''Les Deux sylphes'', comedy in 1 act and in verse, mingled with ariettes, Comédiens italiens, 18 October
*1789: ''Marie de Brabant, reine de France'', tragedy in 5 acts and in verse, Théâtre-Français, 9 September Text online
/small>
;Literary critic
*1778–1788: ''Annales poétiques ou Almanach des muses''
*1793: ''Réflexions sur un article du premier Mercure de janvier 1776''
Bibliography
*
External links
Barthélemy Imbert
on Data.bnf.fr
His plays and their presentations
o
CÉSAR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imbert, Barthelemy
18th-century French male writers
18th-century French dramatists and playwrights
18th-century French poets
18th-century French novelists
French literary critics
Writers from Nîmes
1747 births
1790 deaths