Jean-Baptiste-Denis Despré (24 June 1752 – 2 March 1832) was a French playwright, librettist, journalist, and translator.

Biography

Jean-Baptiste-Denis Despré was born in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

. He was the secretary of Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt at the

Hôtel de Besenval The Hôtel de Besenval is a historic ''hôtel particulier'' in Paris, dating largely from the 18th century, with a ''Court of honor (architecture), cour d'honneur'' and a large English landscape garden, an architectural style commonly known as ''en ...

. He also worked for the baron's son, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur. Later he became the secretary of

Louis Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French c ...

, who made him a councillor of state. In 1783 at the Gaîté, he parodied plays of William Shakespeare, that was adapted by

Jean-François Ducis Jean-François Ducis (; 22 August 173331 March 1816) was a French dramatist and adapter of Shakespeare. Biography Ducis was born in Versailles, one of ten children. His father, Pierre Ducis, originally from Savoy, was a linen draper at Versai ...

Works

*1776: ''La Bonne femme, ou le Phénix'' (vaudeville, parody of ''Alceste''), (with

Pierre-Yves Barré Pierre-Yves Barré (; 17 April 1749 – 2 May 1832) was a French vaudevillist and songwriter. Life Barré was born in Paris. He began life as a lawyer to the French parliament, then court clerk in Pau, but as the nephew of the c ...

(1749-1832) and Pierre-Antoine-Augustin de Piis (1755-1832)) *1777: ''L'Opéra de province'' (parody of ''Armide'' in two acts and in verse) *1783: ''Le Roi Lu'' (parodie du ''Roi Lir ou Lear'', in one act and in verse) *1792: ''Cécile et Ermancé'' (

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

) *1793: ''Nice'' (one-act comédie en vaudeville, in prose, imitation of ''Stratonice'') *1796: ''Le Retour à Bruxelles'' (one-act opéra comique) *1796: ''La Succession'' (one-act opéra comique), (with Jacques-Marie Deschamps) *1797: ''Le Pari'' (divertissement in one acte, en prose et en vaudevilles), (with Pierre-Yves Barré,

Jacques-Marie Deschamps Jacques-Marie Deschamps (; 1750, Paris – 1826) was an 18th–19th-century French playwright, librettist and writer. During the French First Empire, Deschamps was Joséphine de Beauharnais's "secrétaire des commandements" and remained at her s ...

, François-Georges Desfontaines (1733-1825), and Jean-Baptiste Radet (1752-1830) *1798: ''Le portrait de Fielding'' (one-act comedy) *1799: ''L'Allarmiste'' (comédie en vaudeville) *1800: ''Le gondolier, ou La soirée venitienne'' (one-act opera), (with

Louis-Philippe de Ségur Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

(1753-1830)) *1803: ''Saül'' (oratorio mis en action) *1803: ''Le Poète satyrique'' (one-act comedy, in verse) *1803: ''Une soirée de deux prisonniers, ou Voltaire et Richelieu'' (one-act comedy) *1804: ''Le pavillon du Calife ou Almanzor et Zobéide'' (opera) *1805: ''Le Nouveau magasin des modernes'' (one-act comedy, in prose) *1805: ''La Prise de Jéricho'' (oratorio in three parts) *1814: ''Le laboureur chinois'' (one-act opera), (with

(1750?-1826), Étienne Morel de Chédeville (1751-1814) and

Henri-Montan Berton Henri-Montan Berton (17 September 1767 – 22 April 1844) was a French composer, teacher, and writer, mostly known as a composer of operas for the Opéra-Comique. Career Henri-Montan Berton was born the son of Pierre Montan Berton.Charlton 2 ...

(1767-1844)) *1822: ''Mémoires sur Garrick et sur Macklin'' *1822: ''Mémoires sur Molière, et sur Mme Guérin, sa veuve'' (notes and commentary) *1827: ''Œuvres choisies de Dorat''

Translations

*1793: '' Le moine'' by Matthew Lewis *1794: ''

The Mysteries of Udolpho ''The Mysteries of Udolpho: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe, which appeared in four volumes on 8 May 1794 from G. G. and J. Robinson of London. Her fourth and most popular novel, ''The Mysteries of Udolpho'' tells of Emily St. ...

'' by

Ann Radcliffe Ann Radcliffe (née Ward; 9 July 1764 – 7 February 1823) was an English novelist who pioneered the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel, and a minor poet. Her fourth and most popular novel, ''The Mysteries of Udolpho'', was published in 1794. She i ...

*1798: '' Camilla, ou La peinture de la jeunesse'' by

Fanny Burney Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post of "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Mecklen ...

(1752–1840) *1821: ''Works by

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

'' *1825–1827: '' Histoire d'Angleterre depuis l'invasion de Jules-César jusqu'à la révolution de 1688'' by

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist who was best known for his highly influential system of empiricism, philosophical scepticism and metaphysical naturalism. Beg ...

*1826: '' A Simple Story'', by Elizabeth Inchbald (1753-1821)

References

External links

Jean-Baptiste-Denis Despré
on IdRef {{DEFAULTSORT:Despre, Jean Baptiste Denis 1752 births Writers from Dijon 1832 deaths English–French translators French publishers (people) 18th-century French journalists 19th-century French journalists French male journalists 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French opera librettists 19th-century French male writers 18th-century French male writers 19th-century French translators