author
Eugénie Foa
d. 1853
A pioneering 19th-century French writer, she built a literary career in Paris and published fiction, journalism, and works for young readers under several pen names. Her life and work are often remembered for opening space for Jewish women in French literary culture.
1 Audiobook
The Boy Life of Napoleon, Afterwards Emperor of the French
by Eugénie Foa
About the author
Born Esther-Eugénie Rodrigues-Henriques in Bordeaux in 1796, she came from a Sephardic Jewish family and later became known as Eugénie Foa. After moving to Paris, she wrote extensively in French and published under names including Maria Fitzclarence.
She is often described as one of the first Jewish women in France to support herself through writing. Her work ranged widely across novels, periodical writing, children's literature, fashion pieces, and stories connected to Jewish life.
Although she is less widely known today, modern reference sources continue to note her place in literary and Jewish women's history. Some sources list her death in 1852, while older reference works give 1853, so the exact year is reported differently.