Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore was a notable French poet and actress born on June 20, 1786, in Douai, France. Her early life was significantly impacted by her family's financial struggles following her father's bankruptcy during the French Revolution. To support themselves, Desbordes-Valmore and her mother performed as operatic singers and actresses across France. After a tragic loss in Guadeloupe, where her mother died shortly after their arrival, she returned to France and continued her performing career, eventually settling in Brussels.
Desbordes-Valmore published her first poem in 1807 and released her first poetry collection, "Elégies, Marie, et Romances," in 1819. Her major work, "Poésies completes de Madame Desbordes-Valmore," came out in 1830 and showcased her exploration of themes like love, loss, and femininity. Throughout her life, she faced personal grief, including the deaths of her daughters, which deeply influenced her writing, often marked by sadness. Despite her struggles, she became one of the earliest French Romantic poets, earning respect from contemporaries like Victor Hugo and Charles Baudelaire, and she influenced many later authors. Desbordes-Valmore's legacy continues today, as her nursery rhymes remain cherished in children's literature. She passed away in 1859 after a prolonged illness.
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Subject Terms
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
Poet
- Born: June 20, 1786
- Birthplace: Douai, France
- Died: July 23, 1859
Biography
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore was born June 20, 1786, in Douai, France. When her father, Joseph Desbordes, an artisan, went bankrupt in 1797 because of the French Revolution, she and her mother, Catherine Desbordes, began earning money as operatic performers. As singers and actresses, they toured France until 1801, when they traveled to Guadeloupe to live with a wealthy cousin. Upon their arrival, the mother contracted yellow fever and died, while the cousin lost his wealth, leaving Desbordes-Valmore alone and penniless in a foreign country. In 1802, she returned to France, continuing her performance career. From 1807 to 1819, she performed in Brussels at the Théâtre de la Monnaie.
Desbordes-Valmore received no formal schooling; however, her experience in the theater gave her a rich musical background filled with song and operatic narrative. She published her first poem, “Le Billet,” in 1807. In 1817, she married François Prosper Lanchantin, an actor who went by the name of Valmore. They had three children: Hippolyte, Ondine, and Inès. Her first collection of poetry, Elégies, Marie, et Romances, was published in 1819. She left the theater in 1823, when she could support herself with her writing. Poésies completes de Madame Desbordes-Valmore, published in 1830 in three volumes, was her first major collection of poetry. She most often explored traditionally feminine subjects such as love, and a mysterious lover named Oliver, who some critics suggest is the writer Henri de Latouche, appears in many of her poems.
She also wrote several collections for children. Le Livre des mères et des enfants; contes en vers et en prose (the book of mothers and children; tales in verse and prose) was published in 1840. Jeunes têtes et jeunes coeurs: Contes pour les enfants (young heads and young hearts: tales for children) was published in 1855. Much of her poetry is marked with sadness, suffering, and loss. She lacked a stable home, frequently moving so her husband could find work. Her daughter Inès died in 1846. Her daughter Ondine died in 1853. Her grandchild, Ondine’s daughter, had just died the year before. She died herself in 1859 following a long illness with cancer.
Successful female poets were rare in nineteenth century France. Marceline Desbordes- Valmore was one of the earliest French Romantic poets. She was well regarded by her contemporaries Victor Hugo and Charles Baudelaire, and she influenced later writers such as Arthur Rimbaud and André Breton. Her nursery rhymes are still sung to children today.