About
Eugène Sue, born Marie-Joseph Sue in Paris in 1804, was a major 19th-century French writer. Son of a renowned surgeon and godson of Empress Joséphine, he studied medicine and served as a naval surgeon before inheriting a fortune in 1829. He then turned to literature, publishing maritime novels that earned him the nickname 'the French Fenimore Cooper'. His most famous work, Les Mystères de Paris (1842-1843), was serialized and achieved immense success, inspiring social reforms. A committed socialist, he was elected deputy in 1850, then went into exile after the 1851 coup d'état. He died in 1857 in Annecy-le-Vieux.
* 1804-01-26 — † 1857-08-03
Major works
- Kernock le pirate (1830)novel
- Atar-Gull (1831)novel
- La Salamandre (1832)novel
- Les Mystères de Paris (1842-1843)serial novel
- Le Juif errant (1844-1845)serial novel
Key milestones
- 1823-1829Serves as a naval surgeon, participating in the Spanish campaign and the Battle of Navarino.
- 1850Elected deputy for the Seine to the National Assembly.
- 1851Exiled after the coup d'état of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte.
Themes
Social injusticeUrban mysteriesAnticlericalismMaritime adventurePolitical engagement
Sources: britannica.com · id.loc.gov · data.bnf.fr