Léon Daudet (; 16 November 1867 – 2 July 1942) was a French journalist, writer, an active

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. C ...

, and a member of the

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (, ''Goncourt Literary Society''), usually called the Académie Goncourt (, Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1882 by the French writer and publisher Edmo ...

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Daudet was born in Paris. His father was the novelist Alphonse Daudet, his mother was Julia Daudet and his younger brother, Lucien Daudet, would also become an artist. He was educated at the Lycée Louis le Grand, and afterwards studied medicine, a profession which he abandoned. Léon Daudet married Jeanne Hugo, the granddaughter of

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 ...

, in 1891 and thus entered into the higher social and intellectual circles of the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

. He divorced his wife in 1895 and became a vocal critic of the Republic, the Dreyfusard camp, and of democracy in general. Together with

Charles Maurras Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet and critic. He was an organiser and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that was monarchist, corporatis ...

(who remained a lifelong friend), he co-founded (1907) and was an editor of the nationalist, integralist periodical '' L'Action Française''. A deputy from 1919 to 1924, he failed to win election as a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

in 1927 – despite having gained prominence as the voice of the monarchists. When Maurras was released from prison after serving a sentence for verbally attacking Prime Minister Léon Blum, Daudet joined other political leaders Xavier Vallat, Darquier de Pellepoix, and Philippe Henriot to welcome him in the Vel' d'Hiv in July 1937.

Scandals and later life

When his son Philippe was discovered fatally shot in 1923, Daudet accused the republican authorities of complicity with

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 ...

activists in what he believed to be a murder, and lost a lawsuit for

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

brought against him by the driver of the taxi in which Philippe's body was found. That same year, Germaine Berton carried out an assassination against fellow ''

Action Française ''Action Française'' (, AF; ) is a French far-right monarchist and nationalist political movement. The name was also given to a journal associated with the movement, '' L'Action Française'', sold by its own youth organization, the Camelot ...

'' writer Marius Plateau. Daudet was also a target of this assassination but was not present at the time of the shooting. Condemned to five months in prison, Daudet fled and was exiled in Belgium, receiving a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

in 1930. In 1934, during the Stavisky Affair, he was to denounce Prime Minister

Camille Chautemps Camille Chautemps (; 1 February 1885 – 1 July 1963) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister). He was the father-in-law of U.S. politician and statesman Howar ...

, calling him the "leader of a gang of robbers and assassins". He also showed particular detestation for the subsequent Prime Minister Léon Blum, candidate of a coalition of socialists and other parties of the left. A supporter of the Vichy administration headed by

Marshal Pétain Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

, Léon Daudet died in

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (; "Saint-Rémy of Provence"; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Sant Romieg de Provença'' and ''Sant Roumié de Prouvènço'' ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department ...

Works

Novels
''Les Morticoles''
(1894). * ''Le Voyage de Shakespeare'' (1896).
''Suzanne''
(1896).
''Sébastien Gouvès''
(1899). * ''Les Deux Étreintes'' (1901).
''Le Partage de l'Enfant''
(1905).
''La Mésentente''
(1911). * ''Le Lit de Procuste'' (1912). * ''Le Cœur et l'Absence'' (1917).
''Dans la Lumière''
(1919). * ''L'Amour est un Songe'' (1920).
''L'Entremetteuse''
(1921). * ''Le Napus, Fléau de l'an 2227'' (1927). * ''Les Bacchantes'' (1931). * ''Un Amour de Rabelais'' (1933). * ''Médée'' (1935). Essays
''L'Avant-guerre''
(1915).
''Contre l'Esprit Allemand de Kant à Krupp''
(1915).
''L'Hérédo, Essai sur le Drame Intérieur''
(1916).
''La Guerre Totale''
(1918).
''Le Poignard Dans le Dos: Notes sur l'Affaire Malvy''
(1918).
''Le Monde des Images: Suite de L'Hérédo''
(1919).
''Le Stupide XIXe Siècle''
(1922).
''Notre Provence''
(with

, 1933). Pamphlets * ''Le Nain de Lorraine - Raymond Poincaré'' (1930). * ''Le Garde des Seaux - Louis Barthou'' (1930). * ''Le Voyou De Passage - Aristide Briand'' (1930). Miscellany * ''Alphonse Daudet'' (1898). * ''Souvenirs des Milieux Littéraires, Politiques, Artistiques et Médicaux'' (1914–1921): *
''Fantômes et Vivants''
(1914). *
''Devant la Douleur''
(1915). *
''L'Entre-Deux-Guerres''
(1915). ** ''Salons et Journaux'' (1917). ** ''Au Temps de Judas'' (1920). *
''Vers le Roi''
(1921). * ''La Pluie de Sang'' (1932). * ''Député de Paris'' (1933). * ''Paris Vécu'': ** ''Rive Droite'' (1929). ** ''Rive Gauche'' (1930). * ''Quand Vivait mon Père'' (1940). Works in English translation
''Alphonse Daudet''
(1898). * ''Memoirs of Léon Daudet'' (1925). * ''The Stupid Nineteenth Century'' (1928). * ''Cloudy Trophy; the Romance of Victor Hugo'' (1938). * ''The Tragic Life of Victor Hugo'' (1939). * ''Clemenceau; a Stormy Life'' (1940). * ''The Napus: The Great Plague of the Year 2227'' (translated, annotated and introduced by

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (25 July 1948 – 24 February 2024) was a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who published a hundred novels and over a hundred volumes of translations. His earlier books were published under the name Br ...

, 2013). * ''The Bacchantes: A Dionysian Scientific Romance'' (translated, annotated and introduced by

, 2013). Selected articles * "The Overthrow of German Military Prestige," ''The Living Age'', Vol. 302 (1919). * "The Stupid Nineteenth Century," ''The Living Age'', Vol. 312 (1922). * "Sulla and His Destiny," ''The Living Age'', Vol. 315 (1922). * "Maeterlinck's Book on Ants," ''The Living Age'', Vol. 339 (1930). * "My Father Alphonse," ''The Living Age'', Vol. 339 (1930).

References

External links

*
Works by Léon Daudet
at

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Works by Léon Daudet
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Works by Léon Daudet
at Gallica * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daudet, Leon 1867 births 1942 deaths Journalists from Paris Writers from Paris Politicians from Paris Daudet family Members of the Ligue de la patrie française People affiliated with Action Française Independent Right (France) politicians Members of the 12th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of Parliament for Seine 20th-century French journalists French biographers French memoirists French monarchists Antisemitism in France 19th-century French novelists 20th-century French novelists French male novelists 19th-century French male writers 20th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni People associated with the Dreyfus affair French collaborators with Nazi Germany Recipients of French presidential pardons

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Scandals and later life

Works

References

Further reading

External links