Gaston Couté (23 September 1880 – 28 June 1911) was a

French poet List of poets French poetry, who have written in the French language: A Céline Arnauld (1885-1952) * Louise-Victorine Ackermann (1813–1890) * Adam de la Halle (v.1250 – v.1285) * Dominique Aguessy (1937– ) * Pierre Albert-Birot (1876–1 ...

and singer, known for his pacifist and

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

texts.

Biography

Couté was the son of a miller and went to the lycée Pothier in

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

. He got a job as an assistant clerk at the Recette générale des Impôts (like a receiver general, but for tax) in Orléans and then he worked for a local newspaper called ''Le Progrès du Loiret''. He then began to publish his poems, some of which were written in the Beauceron

patois ''Patois'' (, same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or sl ...

. He got the opportunity to have them heard by a troupe of Parisian artists on tour. After receiving some encouragement, Couté decided at the age of 18 in 1898 to go to Paris. After several lean years, he found some success in cabarets. He also collaborated with

Théodore Botrel Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (14 September 1868 – 28 July 1925) was a French singer-songwriter, poet and playwright. He is best known for his popular songs about his native Brittany, of which the most famous is ''La Paimpolaise''. Dur ...

for the journal ''La Bonne Chanson''. Singer and poet Jehan Rictus, who based his poems on the use of slang, was aware of Couté's talent and said of him, "Georges Oble and me, we were undoubtedly in the presence of a teenager of genius who, to his extraordinary gifts, already combined a most skilful technique and in-depth knowledge of the profession". He also contributed to the libertarian newspapers ''La Barricade'' and frequently '' La Guerre Sociale''. He had a difficult end to his life:

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, absinthe and

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

. He died in 1911 from pulmonary congestion 24 hours after being taken to Lariboisière Hospital. At the time, he was about to be brought before the

cour d'assises In France, a ''cour d'assises'', or Court of Assizes or Assize Court, is a Criminal law, criminal trial court with original jurisdiction, original and Appellate jurisdiction, appellate limited jurisdiction to hear cases involving defendants accu ...

for having published an antimilitarist and revolutionary song in La Guerre Sociale praising "facts qualified as crimes". He was buried in the cemetery in Meung-sur-Loire, where there is a museum dedicated to him.

Posthumous tributes

Couté's poems have been regularly interpreted, particularly in music and shows of the likes of Gérard Pierron, Marc Robine, Yves Deniaud, Bernard Meulien, Claude Antonini, Vania Adrien-Sens, Compagnie Grizzli, Compagnie Philibert Tambour, Le P'tit Crème, Hélène Maurice, Imbu, Bernard Gainier, Bruno Daraquy, Jan dau Melhau, Édith Piaf, Monique Morelli, Marc Ogeret, Claude Féron, Bernard Lavilliers, La Tordue, Loïc Lantoine and Gabriel Yacoub.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coute, Gaston People from Loiret 1880 births 1911 deaths 20th-century French male writers 20th-century French poets 20th-century French male singers French anarchists French chansonniers French male poets