About
Alphonse Karr, born in Paris in 1808 and died in Saint-Raphaël in 1890, was a French writer and journalist. Son of a German pianist, he taught at the Collège Bourbon before turning to literature. His first novel, Sous les Tilleuls (1832), was noticed. He edited Le Figaro in 1839 and founded the satirical journal Les Guêpes, where he developed his biting wit. In 1855, he settled in Nice and became a renowned horticulturist, contributing to the cut-flower trade on the French Riviera. He is credited with the epigram 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.'
* 1808-11-24 — † 1890-09-28
Major works
- Sous les Tilleuls (1832)novel
- Geneviève (1838)novel
- Voyage autour de mon jardin (1845)narrative
- Les Guêpes (1839)satirical journal
- Livre de bord (1879)memoirs
Key milestones
- 1839Becomes editor-in-chief of Le Figaro and founds the satirical journal Les Guêpes.
- 1848Publishes the epigram 'The more things change, the more they stay the same' in Les Guêpes.
- 1855Settles in Nice and devotes himself to horticulture, contributing to the cut-flower trade.
Themes
social satiregardening and naturememoirs and autobiographyliterary criticismtravel
Sources: id.loc.gov · en.wikisource.org