- Georges de Brébeuf
Georges de Brébeuf (1618 [The date is subject to some speculation. Harmand conjectured that Brébeuf's date of birth may be 1617.] - 1661 [Harmand gives Brébeuf's date of death at
September 24 ,1661 .] ) was a Frenchpoet and translator most well-known for his verse translation of Lucan's "Pharsalia " (1654) which was warmly received byPierre Corneille , but which was ridiculed byNicolas Boileau in his "Art poétique".Biography
Georges de Brébeuf was born into an illustrious Norman family, most likely at
Torigni-sur-Vire ,Manche [Dandrey, 210. The place of his birth remains a subject of dispute. The city ofSainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire has also been put forward as a possible birthplace, as too a family manor atCondé-sur-Vire .] . One of his ancestors had followedWilliam the Conqueror into England, and he was himself the nephew of theJesuit missionary toCanada Jean de Brébeuf (who was later made a saint after his death at the hands of theIroquois ). He studied inCaen andParis (where he metBlaise Pascal ) and became preceptor to the future Marshall de Bellefonds (1641), then moved toRouen , to hold a religious benefice.His early poetry participated in the so-called "
précieuses " movement and is considered on a par with the works ofVincent Voiture andJean-Louis Guez de Balzac . He became friends withValentin Conrart ,Gilles Ménage ,Jean Chapelain ,François-Eudes de Mézeray andPierre Corneille ; he wrote poetry on demand; and he gained a reputation for his playful, elegant and ironic poems (such as his "Gageure" or "Epigrammes contre une femme fardée", 150epigram s and madrigals against a woman wearing make-up) and his skill with "vers libre" (free verse ). He also wrote works in a burlesque vein, much likePaul Scarron , in hisbaroque parodies ofVirgil 's "Aeneid " and Lucan's "Pharsalia ".His reputation is most linked to his non-burlesque free translation of Lucan's "Pharsalia". The author was severely ridiculized by
Nicolas Boileau for his precious language in his "Art poétique", but Boileau later changed his opinion of Brébeuf, saying "Malgré son fatras obscur, souvent Brébeuf étincelle" ("Despite his obscure gobblygook, Brébeuf often shines").Near the end of his life, Brébeuf left mondain society and retreated to
Venoix (near Caen), where his younger brother wascuré . His later works are meditative, and seek peace in contemplation and nature. He died in 1661 inVenoix nearCaen . His brother published a posthumous collection of his works, including his letters.Works
*"L'Enéide de Virgile en vers burlesques. Livre septiesme" (a
parody of the seventh book ofVirgil 's "Aeneid ", 1650)
*"La Pharsale de Lucain..." (a translation of Lucan's "Pharsalia ", 1654)
*"Défense de l'église romaine" (a defense of the Roman church, 1654)
*"Lucain travesti en vers enjouëz" (aparody of the seventh book of Lucan's "Pharsalia ", 1656)
*"Poésies diverses" (1658)
*"Entretiens solitaires, ou prières et meeditations pieueses" (1660)
*"Panégyrique de la paix" (1660)
*"Éloges poétiques" (1661, poems of praise forNicolas Fouquet ,Mazarin ,Louis XIV of France , theBattle of the Dunes (1658) ,Claude Auvry , etc.)
*"Les œuvres de M. de Brébeuf" (1664 - includes his letters)
*"Poésies héroïques, gaillardes et amoureuses" (1666)References and notes
:"This article is based in part on the article Georges de Brébeuf from the
French Wikipedia , retrieved on October 7, 2006"
*cite book|first=Patrick|last=Dandrey|title=Dictionnaire des lettres françaises: le XVIIe siècle|city=Paris|publisher=Fayard|year=1996|page=221-212|ISBN=2-253-05664-2
* Departmental archives of theManche
*cite book|first=René|last=Harmand|title=Essai sur la vie et les œuvres de Georges de Brébeuf (1617 ?, 1661)|city=Paris|year=1897|page=12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 448, 449, 453, 454
*cite book|title=Nouveau dictionnaire historique|publisher=Société de Gens-de-Lettres|city=Caen|editor=G. Leroy, Imprimeur du Roi|year=1779|volume=1|page=p. 548, 549
*cite book|first=Charles|last=Marie|title=Notice sur les trois Brébeuf|publisher=Société des Antiquaires de Normandie|year=1875|page=7, 112
*cite book|first=J.|last=Robinne|title=L'Apôtre au cœur mangé|year=1949|page=11, 12
*cite book|first=Gustave|last=Vapereau|title=Dictionnaire universel des littératures|city=Paris|publisher=Hachette|year=1876|page=322----
External links
* [http://poesie.webnet.fr/auteurs/brebeuf.html A selection of his poems] fr icon
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