Émile Faguet

Born in La Roche-sur-Yon on December 17, 1847, Émile Faguet studied at the École normale supérieure in Paris. After teaching in La Rochelle and Bordeaux, he joined the University of Paris, where he became professor of French poetry at the Sorbonne in 1897.

Faguet was a prolific author and critic whose work explored French literature, history, education, and public life. Among his best-known books is The Cult of Incompetence, alongside studies of writers such as André Chénier and broader works on French literary history.

He was elected to the Académie française in 1900 and formally received in 1901. Faguet died in Paris on June 7, 1916.