About
Edmond François Valentin About, born on 14 February 1828 in Dieuze and died on 16 January 1885 in Paris, was a French writer, journalist and art critic. A former student of the École Normale Supérieure, he stayed at the French School of Athens, an experience that inspired his first success, La Grèce contemporaine (1854). He is best known for his satirical novel Le Roi des montagnes (1856). A journalist for Le Figaro, Le Moniteur and Le Soir, he edited the liberal and anticlerical periodical Le XIXe Siècle. After the war of 1870, he adopted republican positions. Elected to the Académie française in 1884, he died before his official reception.
* 1828-02-14 — † 1885-01-16
Major works
- La Grèce contemporaine (1854)essay
- Le Roi des montagnes (1856)novel
- L'Homme à l'oreille cassée (1862)novel
- Le Nez d'un notaire (1862)novel
- A.B.C. du travailleur (1868)essay
Key milestones
- 1851Received first place in the agrégation de lettres.
- 1884Elected to the Académie française.
- 1885Buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
Themes
social satiretravelpoliticsarteconomy
Sources: en.wikisource.org · gutenberg.org · snaccooperative.org