author
Charles Expilly
1814–1886
A French journalist and man of letters, he wrote vividly about Brazil and South America, mixing travel, politics, and social observation. His books offer a sharp 19th-century view of a world in upheaval.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Salon-de-Provence on September 8, 1814, Charles Expilly was a French journalist, essayist, historian, and writer. He became known for republican journalism in Paris and for a body of work that ranged across politics, history, and literary nonfiction.
Expilly spent significant time in South America, especially in Brazil, and that experience shaped some of his best-known books. Works such as Le Brésil tel qu'il est and Les femmes et les moeurs du Brésil reflect his strong interest in Brazilian society, customs, and public life, while other writings turned to Paraguay and regional politics.
He died in Tain-l'Hermitage in 1886. Today he is remembered as a curious and energetic 19th-century observer whose writing brought distant places and political struggles to French readers.