Edmond About

Edmond About – Life, Career & Literary Legacy

Learn about Edmond About (1828–1885) — the French novelist, journalist, satirist, critic, and public intellectual whose witty, sharp voice left a mark on 19th-century letters.

Introduction

Edmond François Valentin About (14 February 1828 – 16 January 1885) was a major figure in 19th-century French literature, known for his novels, essays, satire, journalism, and art criticism. Though less remembered today than some of his contemporaries, his blend of humor, social critique, and literary flair made him a distinctive voice in his age. He was also a member of the Académie Française.

In this article, we trace his life — from modest origins to acclaim — explore his major works, his ideas and influences, and reflect on what his legacy still offers.

Early Life & Education

Edmond About was born on 14 February 1828 in Dieuze, in the Moselle département (Lorraine region) of France.

His childhood was marked by struggle: after the death of his father when About was still young, the family’s financial situation was precarious.

In 1848, he was admitted to the École Normale Supérieure (one of France’s most prestigious institutions) by coming second in the competitive exam, behind Hippolyte Taine. agrégation de lettres (the top competitive exam in French literature) first place, a mark of exceptional scholarly promise.

After this academic success, he was appointed to the École française d’Athènes, spending two years in Greece, initially in the company of architect Charles Garnier.

This Greek sojourn influenced his early writings and shaped his interest in classical culture and comparative observations of societies.

Literary & Journalistic Career

Early Works & Reputation

After returning from Greece, About turned to writing and journalism rather than a teaching career. La Grèce contemporaine, a study of modern Greece that met with success — but also criticism from those who felt his tone too satirical toward Greek realities.

The same year, he published the novel Tolla, which brought him wider popularity — and controversy. Some critics accused him of borrowing too heavily from an earlier Italian work Vittoria Savelli. About defended himself vigorously.

He also contributed to journals and newspapers, often under pseudonyms (e.g. Valentin de Quevilly), writing essays, criticism, and letters that stirred public debate.

Major Works & Themes

About’s oeuvre is wide-ranging — from novels and short stories to critical essays, satire, pamphlets, and art criticism. Some of his notable works:

• Les Mariages de Paris — humorous sketches and social observation of marriages in Parisian society.

• Le Roi des Montagnes („The King of the Mountains“) — a tale set partly in Greece, playing on romantic tropes and political commentary.

• L’homme à l’oreille cassée („The Man with the Broken Ear“) — a more fantastic / speculative work: a colonel, frozen by experiment, returns in a changed world.

• Le Nez d’un Notaire — another example of his lighter, ironic side.

• La Question Romaine (1859) — a political pamphlet on the role of the Papacy and the Roman question, expressing his anticlerical views.

• Rome Contemporaine — observations and commentary on contemporary Rome and its institutions.

In addition to fiction, About wrote on social, political, and economic themes with a liberal bent: works like Le Progrès (1864) and L’ABC du travailleur (1868) reflected his engagement with issues of labor, progress, and liberalism.

He also engaged in art criticism, especially on exhibitions and salons, often employing a satirical and sharp tone, dismissing pretension, and lampooning what he saw as excess in avant-garde or ideologically driven art.

Political & Public Life

About's writing was often polemical. He was staunchly anticlerical, critical of clerical influence in public life, yet not aligned straightforwardly with radical republicanism early on.

Around 1871, he founded the newspaper Le XIXᵉ Siècle and served as its director, using it as a platform for his political and social views.

He also traveled more: he visited Egypt (1867–68) and participated in the inaugural journey of the Orient Express in 1883.

In January 1884 he was elected to the Académie Française, occupying Seat 11. However, he died before delivering his reception speech.

Style, Influence & Critical Reception

Literary Style & Features

• About’s writing is known for its wit, satire, irony, and accessible style. He could shift from social observation to lighter comic effect with ease.

• He often blends realism and imaginative elements (as in L’homme à l’oreille cassée) — foreshadowing speculative or proto-science fiction tendencies.

• His publicist / essay writing reflects a clarity of argument, polemical energy, and rhetorical flair, often intended to provoke thought and stir debate.

Reception & Legacy

During his lifetime, About was highly popular and read widely. But over time, as literary fashions shifted, his works fell somewhat into the background compared to canonical novelists.

He is seen in some circles as a publicist of liberal ideas — making political or social views accessible to a general audience rather than writing in dense theoretical form.

In French institutional memory, his election to the Académie Française and his role as polemical journalist maintain him as part of the 19th-century intellectual tradition.

Thought & Key Themes

Some recurring ideas and themes in About’s work:

• Critique of pretension and hypocrisy — he often satirized social elites, hypocrisy in institutions (especially clerical), and literary or artistic excess.

• Progress and liberalism — he generally supported progress, modernization, and liberal principles (though not always in a radical mode).

• Tension between tradition and modernity — through his travels and cross-cultural observations (Greece, Rome, Egypt), he often contrasted mythic or classical ideals with contemporary realities.

• The role of the public intellectual — he saw writers and journalists as engaged participants in shaping public life, not mere observers.

• Literary experimentation — by engaging speculative ideas (e.g. resurrection, scientific intervention) and mixing genres, he stretched boundaries in 19th-century French letters.

Lessons & Reflections

1. Bringing ideas to the public
   About shows how intellectuals can combine literature and popular forms to influence public discourse.

2. Humor as critique
   Satire and wit can disarm entrenched attitudes and open space for questioning.

3. Versatility matters
   He wrote in multiple genres — fiction, criticism, journalism. Such range allowed him to reach varied audiences.

4. Engagement across cultures
   His travels (Greece, Egypt, Italy) broadened his perspective and grounded his social commentary beyond France.

5. Legacy beyond fame
   Even when one’s popularity fades, contributions to style, public debate, and the blending of ideas and art may persist in subtler ways.

Conclusion

Edmond About (1828–1885) was a luminous figure of 19th-century French letters — a novelist, critic, satirist, and public intellectual who used wit, imagination, and social engagement to illuminate his world. While his doctrinal or political writings may not be widely read today, his literary voice and capacity to combine entertainment with serious critique remain relevant.

If you’d like, I can also provide a timeline of his major works, or translate excerpts of his English-translated works and analyze them. Would you like me to do that?