Eugène Sue | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Sue in 1835 | |
| Born | Joseph Marie Eugène Sue (1804-01-26)26 January 1804 Paris, France |
| Died | 3 August 1857(1857-08-03) (aged 53) Annecy-le-Vieux, Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Resting place | Cimetière de Loverchy,Annecy |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Education | Lycée Condorcet |
| Period | 1830–1857 |
| Literary movement | Romanticism |
| Notable works | The Mysteries of Paris,The Wandering Jew |
| Notable awards | Legion of Honour |
Marie-Joseph "Eugène"Sue (French pronunciation:[øʒɛnsy]; 26 January 1804 – 3 August 1857) was a French novelist. He was one of several authors who popularized the genre of theserial novel in France with his very popular and widely imitatedThe Mysteries of Paris, which was published in a newspaper from 1842 to 1843.[1]
Sue was born in Paris, France. He was the son of a distinguished surgeon inNapoleon's army,Jean-Joseph Sue, and hadEmpress Joséphine as his godmother.[2] Sue himself acted as surgeon both in the1823 French campaign in Spain and at theBattle of Navarino in 1827.[3] In 1829 his father's death put him in possession of a considerable fortune, and he settled in Paris.[4]
Sue's naval experiences supplied much of the material for his first novels,Kernock le pirate (1830),Atar-Gull (1831),La Salamandre (1832),La Coucaratcha (1832–1834), and others, written at the height of theRomantic movement of 1830. In the quasi-historical style he wroteJean Cavalier, ou Les Fanatiques des Cevennes (1840) andLatréaumont (1837).[4] HisMathilde (1841[5]) contains the first known expression of the popular proverb "La vengeance se mange très-bien froide",[5] translated in 1846 as "Revenge is very good eaten cold" by D. G. Osborne,[6] also constituting the first known English usage of the proverb later expressed in English as"Revenge is a dish best served cold".[7]
He was strongly affected by thesocialist ideas of the day, and these prompted his most famous works, theanti-Catholic novels:The Mysteries of Paris (Les Mystères de Paris) (published inJournal des débats from 19 June 1842 until 15 October 1843) andThe Wandering Jew (Le Juif errant; 1844–1845), which were among the most popular specimens of theserial novel.[4][8]The Wandering Jew is aGothic novel depicting the titular character in conflict with the villain, a murderousJesuit named Rodin.[1] These works depicted the intrigues of the nobility and the harsh life of the underclass to a wide public.Les Mystères de Parisspawned a class of imitations all over the world, thecity mysteries. Sue's books caused controversy because of their strongly violent scenes, and also because of their socialist and anti-clerical subtexts.[1]
He followed up with some singular books:Les Sept pêchés capitaux (1847–1849) contained stories to illustrate each of theseven deadly sins;[4]Les Mystères du peuple (1849–1856),a long series of historical novels which was suppressed by the censor in 1857; and several others, all on a very large scale, though the number of volumes gives an exaggerated idea of their length.[4]Les Mystères du peuple is a lengthy series of novels and novellas dealing with French history.Les Mystères du peuple begins with a novel graphically depicting slavery in theRoman Empire (The Iron Collar).[1] OtherLes Mystères du peuple novels dealt withEarly Christianity (The Silver Cross), KingClovis I (The Poniard's Hilt), the founding of theDuchy of Normandy (The Iron Arrow-Head), theCrusades in Palestine (The Pilgrim's Shell), theAlbigensian Crusade (The Iron Pincers), theJacquerie (The Iron Trevet),Joan of Arc (The Executioner's Knife) and theFrench Revolution (Sword of Honor). The novels were translated into English (as the "Mysteries of the People") and published in New York byDaniel De Leon and his son, Solon.[1][9] Some of Sue's books, among themThe Wandering Jew andThe Mysteries of Paris, were dramatized by himself, usually in collaboration with others. His period of greatest success and popularity coincided with that ofAlexandre Dumas, with whom he has been compared.[4]
According toUmberto Eco, parts of Sue's bookLes Mystères du peuple served as a source forMaurice Joly in his 1864 workDialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, a book attackingNapoleon III and his political ambitions. The two are depicted inWill Eisner's cartoon bookThe Plot, co-authored with Eco.[10]
After theFrench Revolution of 1848, Sue was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the Paris-Seine constituency in April 1850. He was exiled from Paris in consequence of his protest against theFrench coup d'état of 1851. This exile stimulated his literary production.[4] Sue died inAnnecy-le-Vieux,Savoy on 3 August 1857 and was buried at the Cimetière de Loverchy (Annecy) in the Non-Catholic's Carré des "Dissidents".
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sue, Eugène".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 20.
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