Louis-Henri Murger, also known as Henri Murger and Henry Murger (27 March 1822 – 28 January 1861), was a French novelist and poet.
Henri Murger in 1857
He is chiefly distinguished as the author of the 1847-1849 book Scènes de la vie de bohème (Scenes of Bohemian Life), which is based on his own experiences as a desperately poor writer living in a Parisian garret (the top floor of buildings, where artists often lived) and as a member of a loose club of friends who called themselves "the water drinkers" (because they were too poor to afford wine). In his writing he combines instinct with pathos, humour, and sadness. The book is the basis for the 1896 operaLa bohème by Puccini, Leoncavallo's opera of the same name, and, at greater removes, the zarzuelaBohemios (Amadeu Vives), the 1930 operetta Das Veilchen vom Montmartre (Kálmán), and the 1996 Broadway musical Rent. He wrote lyrics as well as novels and stories, the chief being La Chanson de Musette, "a tear," says Gautier, "which has become a pearl of poetry".[1]
Murger was born and died in Paris. He was the son of a Savoyard immigrant who worked as a tailor and janitor for an apartment building in the Rue Saint Georges. He had a scanty and fragmented education. After leaving school at 15 he worked in a variety of menial jobs before securing one in a lawyer's office. While there he also wrote poetry which came to the attention of the French writer Étienne de Jouy. De Jouy's connections enabled him to secure the position of secretary to Count Tolstoi, a Russian nobleman living in Paris. Murger's literary career began about 1841. His first essays were mainly literary and poetic, but under the pressure of earning a living he wrote whatever he could find a market for, turning out prose as he put it, "at the rate of eighty francs an acre".[2] At one point he edited a fashion newspaper, Le Moniteur de la Mode, and a paper for the millinery trade, Le Castor. His position gradually improved when the French writer Champfleury, with whom he lived for a time, urged Murger to devote himself to fiction. His first big success was Scènes de la vie de bohème. In 1851 Murger published a sequel, Scènes de la vie de jeunesse. Several more works followed, but none of them brought him the same popular acclaim.
Bust of Henry Murger (the monument itself spells his name “Henry,” rather than the usual French spelling of Henri) in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
He lived much of the next ten years in a country house outside Paris, dogged by financial problems and recurrent ill health. In 1859 he received the Légion d'honneur but within two years he was almost penniless and dying in a Paris hospital. Napoleon III's minister Count Walewski sent 500 francs to help pay his medical expenses, but it was too late. Henri Murger died on 28 January 1861 at the age of 38. The French government paid for his funeral, which from contemporary accounts in Le Figaro was a great public occasion attended by 250 luminaries from journalism, literature, theatre, and the arts. Le Figaro also started a fund to raise money for his monument. Hundreds of people contributed and within two months it had raised over 6500 francs.[3]
Spelling of the name
Early in his career, in an effort to make himself appear more "elegant and noticeable", Murger signed his name as "Henry Mürger", the English-looking "y" and German-looking umlaut both being exotic in French.[4] - though the spelling of Henry rather than Henri was also archaic French, having been standard orthography (along with such spellings as loy and roy) prior to c. 1775 and not totally supplanted by "i" until after 1790. After experimenting with other variations he eventually kept the former but dropped the latter, so that all of his best-known works were published under the name "Henry Murger".
Works
Scènes de la vie de bohème (1847–49).
Scènes de la vie de jeunesse (1851).
Le Pays latin (1851).
Propos de ville et propos de théâtre (1853).
Scènes de campagne (1854).
Le Roman de toutes les femmes (1854).
Ballades et Fantaisies (1854).
Les Buveurs d'eau (1854).
Le Dessous du panier (1855).
Le Dernier rendez-vous (1856).
Les Nuits d’hiver (1856).
Les Vacances de Camille (1857).
Le Sabot rouge (1860).
Madame Olympe (1860).
In English translation
The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter (1888).
Winter Nights (1923).
References
^Original French: Dans ce volume il y a un chef d'œuvre, une larme devenue une perle de poésie, nous voulons dire: "la Chanson de Musette", Théophile Gautier, ' (1868), Diogene Editions Libres, 2006, p. 47.
^Introductory essay to Henry Murger, The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter, New York: Société des Beaux-Arts, 1888.
Baldick, Robert (1961). The First Bohemian: The Life of Henry Murger. London: Hamish Hamilton.
Besant, Walter (1893). "Henry Murger." In: Essays and Historiettes. London: Chatto & Windus, pp. 170–196.
Gauthier, Théophile (1901). "Henry Murger." In: Portraits of the Day. Cambridge: The Jenson Society, pp. 138–147.
Lelioux, Adrien François; Noël, Léon; and Nadar (1862). Histoire de Mürger: pour a l'histoire de la vraie Bohéme, par Trois Buveurs d'Eau, Paris: Collection Hetzel; includes unpublished letters and verses by Murger.
Mauris, Maurice (1880). "Henri Murger." In: French Men of Letters. New York: D. Appleton and Company, pp. 89–108.
McCarthy, Justin (1868). "The Bohemia of Henri Mürger." In: "Con Amore", or Critical Chapters. London: Tinsley Brothers, pp. 208–249.
Montorgueil, Georges (1928). Henri Murger, Romancier de la Bohème. Paris: Grasset.
Moss, Arthur, and Evalyn Marve (1947). The Legend of the Latin Quarter: Henry Mürger and the Birth of Bohemia. London: W.H. Allen & Co..
Samuels, Maurice (2004). "Introduction." In: The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. vii-xvi.
Saintsbury, George (1891). "Henry Murger." In: Essays on French Novelists. London: Percival & Co., pp. 381–418.
Williams, Orlo (1913). Vie de Bohème, a patch of romantic Paris, Boston: R. G. Badger.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henry Murger.
Works by Henri Murger at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
Scènes de la vie de bohème, Romagnol French edition of 1902 illustrated with etchings by Eugène Decisy [fr] after watercolors by Charles Léandre, at Gallica Digital Library.
February 01, 2023
henri, murger, louis, also, known, henry, murger, march, 1822, january, 1861, french, novelist, poet, 1857, chiefly, distinguished, author, 1847, 1849, book, scènes, bohème, scenes, bohemian, life, which, based, experiences, desperately, poor, writer, living, . Louis Henri Murger also known as Henri Murger and Henry Murger 27 March 1822 28 January 1861 was a French novelist and poet Henri Murger in 1857 He is chiefly distinguished as the author of the 1847 1849 book Scenes de la vie de boheme Scenes of Bohemian Life which is based on his own experiences as a desperately poor writer living in a Parisian garret the top floor of buildings where artists often lived and as a member of a loose club of friends who called themselves the water drinkers because they were too poor to afford wine In his writing he combines instinct with pathos humour and sadness The book is the basis for the 1896 opera La boheme by Puccini Leoncavallo s opera of the same name and at greater removes the zarzuela Bohemios Amadeu Vives the 1930 operetta Das Veilchen vom Montmartre Kalman and the 1996 Broadway musical Rent He wrote lyrics as well as novels and stories the chief being La Chanson de Musette a tear says Gautier which has become a pearl of poetry 1 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Spelling of the name 2 Works 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksBiography EditMurger was born and died in Paris He was the son of a Savoyard immigrant who worked as a tailor and janitor for an apartment building in the Rue Saint Georges He had a scanty and fragmented education After leaving school at 15 he worked in a variety of menial jobs before securing one in a lawyer s office While there he also wrote poetry which came to the attention of the French writer Etienne de Jouy De Jouy s connections enabled him to secure the position of secretary to Count Tolstoi a Russian nobleman living in Paris Murger s literary career began about 1841 His first essays were mainly literary and poetic but under the pressure of earning a living he wrote whatever he could find a market for turning out prose as he put it at the rate of eighty francs an acre 2 At one point he edited a fashion newspaper Le Moniteur de la Mode and a paper for the millinery trade Le Castor His position gradually improved when the French writer Champfleury with whom he lived for a time urged Murger to devote himself to fiction His first big success was Scenes de la vie de boheme In 1851 Murger published a sequel Scenes de la vie de jeunesse Several more works followed but none of them brought him the same popular acclaim Bust of Henry Murger the monument itself spells his name Henry rather than the usual French spelling of Henri in the Jardin du Luxembourg Paris He lived much of the next ten years in a country house outside Paris dogged by financial problems and recurrent ill health In 1859 he received the Legion d honneur but within two years he was almost penniless and dying in a Paris hospital Napoleon III s minister Count Walewski sent 500 francs to help pay his medical expenses but it was too late Henri Murger died on 28 January 1861 at the age of 38 The French government paid for his funeral which from contemporary accounts in Le Figaro was a great public occasion attended by 250 luminaries from journalism literature theatre and the arts Le Figaro also started a fund to raise money for his monument Hundreds of people contributed and within two months it had raised over 6500 francs 3 Spelling of the name Edit Early in his career in an effort to make himself appear more elegant and noticeable Murger signed his name as Henry Murger the English looking y and German looking umlaut both being exotic in French 4 though the spelling of Henry rather than Henri was also archaic French having been standard orthography along with such spellings as loy and roy prior to c 1775 and not totally supplanted by i until after 1790 After experimenting with other variations he eventually kept the former but dropped the latter so that all of his best known works were published under the name Henry Murger Works EditScenes de la vie de boheme 1847 49 Scenes de la vie de jeunesse 1851 Le Pays latin 1851 Propos de ville et propos de theatre 1853 Scenes de campagne 1854 Le Roman de toutes les femmes 1854 Ballades et Fantaisies 1854 Les Buveurs d eau 1854 Le Dessous du panier 1855 Le Dernier rendez vous 1856 Les Nuits d hiver 1856 Les Vacances de Camille 1857 Le Sabot rouge 1860 Madame Olympe 1860 In English translation The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter 1888 Winter Nights 1923 References Edit Original French Dans ce volume il y a un chef d œuvre une larme devenue une perle de poesie nous voulons dire la Chanson de Musette Theophile Gautier Rapport sur les progres de la poesie 1868 Diogene Editions Libres 2006 p 47 Introductory essay to Henry Murger The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter New York Societe des Beaux Arts 1888 Seigel 1999 pp 150 153 Seigel p 35 Bibliography Seigel Jerrold 1999 Bohemian Paris Culture Politics and the Boundaries of Bourgeois Life 1830 1930 JHU Press ISBN 0 8018 6063 6 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Wood James ed 1907 The Nuttall Encyclopaedia London and New York Frederick Warne a href Template Cite encyclopedia html title Template Cite encyclopedia cite encyclopedia a Missing or empty title help Further reading Edit Grave Baldick Robert 1961 The First Bohemian The Life of Henry Murger London Hamish Hamilton Besant Walter 1893 Henry Murger In Essays and Historiettes London Chatto amp Windus pp 170 196 Gauthier Theophile 1901 Henry Murger In Portraits of the Day Cambridge The Jenson Society pp 138 147 Lelioux Adrien Francois Noel Leon and Nadar 1862 Histoire de Murger pour a l histoire de la vraie Boheme par Trois Buveurs d Eau Paris Collection Hetzel includes unpublished letters and verses by Murger Mauris Maurice 1880 Henri Murger In French Men of Letters New York D Appleton and Company pp 89 108 McCarthy Justin 1868 The Bohemia of Henri Murger In Con Amore or Critical Chapters London Tinsley Brothers pp 208 249 Montorgueil Georges 1928 Henri Murger Romancier de la Boheme Paris Grasset Moss Arthur and Evalyn Marve 1947 The Legend of the Latin Quarter Henry Murger and the Birth of Bohemia London W H Allen amp Co Samuels Maurice 2004 Introduction In The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press pp vii xvi Saintsbury George 1891 Henry Murger In Essays on French Novelists London Percival amp Co pp 381 418 Williams Orlo 1913 Vie de Boheme a patch of romantic Paris Boston R G Badger External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henry Murger Works by Henri Murger at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Henri Murger at Internet Archive Works by Henri Murger at LibriVox public domain audiobooks Scenes de la vie de boheme Romagnol French edition of 1902 illustrated with etchings by Eugene Decisy fr after watercolors by Charles Leandre at Gallica Digital Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Henri Murger amp oldid 1134518475, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
