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Home  »  library  »  BIOS  »  Alfred de Musset (1810–1857)

C.D. Warner, et al., comp.
The Library of the World’s Best Literature. An Anthology in Thirty Volumes. 1917.

Alfred de Musset (1810–1857)

Musset, Louis Charles Alfred de (mü-sā’). A French poet; born in Paris, Nov. 11, 1810; died there, May 1, 1857. He studied law and medicine, and tried business, each for a short time; was librarian of the department of the Interior (1838), and the department of Public Instruction (1855). He wrote: ‘Tales of Spain and Italy’ (1830); ‘A Play in an Arm-Chair’ (1832); ‘A Night of May’ (1835); ‘A Night of December’ (1835); ‘A Night of August’ (1836); ‘A Night of October’ (1837);—the last four being his masterpieces; ‘Letter to Lamartine’ (1836); ‘Hope in God’ (1838); etc. The ‘Nights,’ as well as the latter part of the prose story ‘Confession of a Child of the Century’ (1836), related to his connection with George Sand. Other notable stories were: ‘Emmeline’ (1837); ‘The Two Mistresses’ (1837); ‘Frederick and Bernerette’ (1838); ‘Titian’s Son’ (1838); etc. He produced also a series of graceful and original ‘Comedies and Proverbs,’ some of which hold the stage to-day; ‘One Must Not Play with Love’ (1834); ‘We Must Swear to Nothing’ (1836); ‘A Door Must be either Open or Shut’ (1845); etc. (See Critical and Biographical Introduction).