Marcel Prévost

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Marcel Prévost

Eugène Marcel Prévost (born May 1, 1862 in Paris ; † April 8, 1941 ibid) was a French novelist and playwright.

Life

After attending a Christian primary school in Orléans , then in Châtellerault and in Jesuit schools in Bordeaux and Paris , he completed the École polytechnique in Paris . He then became an engineer in a tobacco factory before joining a ministry.

From 1881 he began to publish novellas in the magazine Le Clairon . In 1890 he gave up his public position to devote himself to literature. After first novels dealing with life in the provinces - Le Scorpion (1887), Chonchette (1888), Mademoiselle Jaufre (1889) - he began to delve into novels such as: Cousin Laura (1890), La Confession d'un amant ( 1891), Lettres de femmes (1892), L'Automne d'une femme (1893) deal with the topic for which he became famous: the exploration of the essence of women, viewed exclusively from a male perspective.

His success came in 1894 with Les Demi-vierges , his most celebrated novel. He describes in a very clear way the effects that Parisian city life and modern education and society can have on young women. The novel was then rewritten as a play and premiered on May 2, 1895 with great success at the Théâtre du Gymnase . The term demi-vierge ("half-virgin") entered the colloquial language and describes a revealing and at the same time virgin girl.

In the same spirit, Marcel Prévost published Jardin secret (1897), Les Vierges fortes (1900), Frédérique (1900), Léa (1900), L'Heureux ménage (1901). Les Lettres à Françoise (1902) represent a program for educating girls . This was followed by La Princesse d'Erminge (1904) and La plus faible (1904), a play in four acts that was performed with great success at the Comédie-Française , and L'Accordeur aveugle (1905). From the abundance of similar productions one could particularly point out Monsieur et Madame Moloch (1906), a cheerful satire on the German character.

Kirchner-Prévost, Demi vierge

On May 27, 1909, Prévost was elected to the chair of the late Victorien Sardou in the Académie française . Other works include Féminités (1912), Les Don Juanes (1922), La mort des ormeaux (1937). The connection between mysticism and eroticism in Retraite ardente (1927) sparked protests by the Catholic Church .

From 1922 to 1940 Marcel Prévost headed the magazine Revue de France and was also in charge of the Société des Gens de Lettres .

Works in German translation (selection)

  • Half innocence ( Les demi-vierges . Paris 1894). Albert Langen, Munich 1895.
  • Strong women ( Les Vierges fortes ). Translated by F. Countess zu Reventlow . Munich: Albert Langen, 1900.
  • Between us girls ( Lettres de femmes ). Translated by F. Countess zu Reventlow. Munich: Albert Langen 1900.
  • The Princess of Ermingen ( La Princesse d'Erminge ). Translated by F. Countess zu Reventlow. Albert Langen, Munich 1905
  • Confession of love ( La Confession d'un amant ). Translated by F. Countess zu Reventlow. Albert Langen, Munich 1908
  • Mr. and Mrs. Moloch ( Monsieur et Madame Moloch ). Translated by FP Fischer. Albert Langen, Munich 1908
  • Lea. The only legitimate translation from the French by F. Countess zu Reventlow. Albert Langen, Munich 1909
  • The young mother ( Lettres à Françoise ). Translated by G. Katz. Albert Langen, Munich 1913
  • Advice for bachelors and fiancees. Langen-Müller, Munich, Vienna 1973. ISBN 3-7844-1394-3

literature

  • Marcel Prévost et ses contemporains: critiques littéraires, portraits, correspondances, inédits / souvenirs de Paul Valéry ... Paris: Éd. de France, 1943
  • Jansen, Gretl: Women's psychology and women's education with Marcel Prévost. Dissertation, University of Würzburg 1927

Web links

Commons : Marcel Prévost  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Prévost, Marcel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Prévost, Eugène Marcel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French novelist and playwright
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH April 8, 1941
Place of death Paris