Pierre Choderlos de Laclos | |
|---|---|
 Portrait attributed toAlexander Kucharsky | |
| Born | Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (1741-10-18)18 October 1741 Amiens,Picardy,Kingdom of France |
| Died | 5 September 1803(1803-09-05) (aged 61) Taranto,Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
| Occupation | Writer, official and army general |
| Nationality | French |
| Notable works | Les Liaisons dangereuses |
Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (French:[pjɛʁɑ̃bʁwazfʁɑ̃swaʃɔdɛʁlodəlaklo]; 18 October 1741 – 5 September 1803) was a French novelist, official,Freemason and army general, best known for writing theepistolary novelLes Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) (1782).
A unique case in French literature, he was for a long time considered to be as scandalous a writer as theMarquis de Sade orNicolas Restif de la Bretonne. He was a military officer with no illusions about human relations, and an amateur writer; however, his initial plan was to "write a work which departed from the ordinary, which made a noise, and which would remain on earth after his death"; from this point of view he mostly attained his goals with the fame of his masterworkLes Liaisons dangereuses. It is one of the masterpieces of novelistic literature of the 18th century, which explores the amorous intrigues of the aristocracy. It has inspired many critical and analytic commentaries, plays and films.
Born inAmiens into abourgeois family, in 1761 Laclos began studies at the School of Artillery of La Fère, ancestor of theÉcole Polytechnique.[1] As a young lieutenant, he briefly served in a garrison atLa Rochelle until the end of theSeven Years' War (1763). Postings toStrasbourg (1765–1769),Grenoble (1769–1775) andBesançon (1775–1776) followed.
In 1763 Laclos became aFreemason in "L'Union" military lodge inToul.[2]
Despite a promotion to the rank of captain (1771), Laclos grew increasingly bored with his artillery garrison duties and with the company of soldiers; he began to devote his free time to writing. His first works, several light poems, appeared in theAlmanach des Muses. Later he wrote the libretto for anopéra comique,Ernestine, inspired by a novel byMarie Jeanne Riccoboni. The music was composed by the Chevalier de Saint Georges. Its premiere on 19 July 1777, in the presence of QueenMarie Antoinette, proved a failure. In the same year, he established a new artillery school inValence, which would includeNapoleon Bonaparte among its students in the mid-1780s. On his return to Besançon in 1778 Laclos was promoted second captain of the Engineers. In this period he wrote several works which showed his great admiration ofJean-Jacques Rousseau.
In 1776 Laclos requested and received affiliation with the "Henri IV" lodge in Paris. There he helpedLouis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans leading theGrand Orient of France.[3] In 1777, in front of the Grand Orient's dignitaries, he delivered a speech in which he urged the initiation of women intoFreemasonry.[4]
In 1779, he was sent toÎle-d'Aix (in present-dayCharente-Maritime) to assistMarc René, marquis de Montalembert in the construction of fortifications there against the British. However, he spent most of his time writing his newepistolary novel,Les Liaisons dangereuses, as well as aLetter to Madame de Montalembert. When he asked for and received six months of vacation, he spent the time in Paris, writing.
Durand Neveu publishedLes Liaisons dangereuses in four volumes on 23 March 1782; it became a widespread success: 1,000 copies sold in a month, an exceptional result for the time. Laclos was immediately ordered to return to his garrison inBrittany; in 1783 he was sent toLa Rochelle to collaborate in the construction of the new arsenal. Here he met Marie-Soulange Duperré, whom he would marry on 3 May 1786,[5] and remain with for the rest of his life. The following year, he began a project of numbering the streets ofParis.
In 1788, Laclos left the army, entering the service ofLouis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, for whom, after the outbreak of theFrench Revolution in 1789, he carried out intense diplomatic activity.[clarification needed] In 1790/91 he was the editor of "Journal des amis de la constitution", connected with theFeuillants.[6][7] Captured by Republican ideals, he left the Duke to obtain a place as commissar in the Ministry of War. His reorganization has been credited[by whom?] as having a role in theFrench Revolutionary Army's victory in theBattle of Valmy (20 September 1792). Later, however, after the desertion (April 1793) of generalCharles François Dumouriez, he was arrested as anOrleaniste, being freed after theThermidorian Reaction of 27 July 1794.
He thenceforth spent some time in ballistic studies, which led him to the invention of the modern artilleryshell.[8] In 1795 he requested reinstatement in the Army by theCommittee of Public Safety; the request was ignored. His attempts to obtain a diplomatic position and to found a bank also proved unsuccessful. Eventually, Laclos met the young general and recently appointed (November 1799)First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, and joined his party. On 16 January 1800 he was reinstated in the Army as Brigadier General in theArmy of the Rhine; he took part in theBattle of Biberach (9 May 1800).
Made commander-in-chief of Reserve Artillery in Italy (1803), Laclos died shortly afterward in the former convent of St.Francis of Assisi atTaranto, probably ofdysentery andmalaria. He was buried in the fort still bearing his name (Forte de Laclos) in the Isola di San Paolo near the city, built under his direction. Following the restoration of theHouse of Bourbon insouthern Italy in 1815, his burial tomb was destroyed; it is believed[by whom?] that his bones were tossed into the sea.
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