Charles Mérouvel

Born Charles Chartier in L'Aigle, France, on December 1, 1832, he later adopted the pen name Charles Mérouvel. He was a French novelist and playwright, and his long career stretched well into the early 20th century.

Mérouvel became closely associated with the popular serialized fiction of his time. Gallica describes him as a major figure in the roman de la victime, a branch of popular fiction centered on suffering, injustice, and emotional reversals, and notes that he wrote around a hundred books. Among his best-known titles, Chaste et flétrie! was one of his biggest successes and is still remembered as a classic example of the French feuilleton style.

He died in Mortagne-au-Perche on June 20, 1920. Today, he is remembered as a vivid storyteller of popular 19th-century French fiction, with works that capture the melodrama and momentum that kept newspaper and volume readers coming back for more.