author
Firmin Maillard
1833–1901
Best known for vivid books about literary Paris, bohemia, and the world of books, this 19th-century French journalist wrote with an eye for anecdote and atmosphere. His work preserves the lively edges of Parisian cultural life, from publishing and newspapers to bibliophiles and writers on the margins.
1 Audiobook
Le gibet de Montfaucon (étude sur le vieux Paris)
by Firmin Maillard
About the author
Born in Gray, Haute-Saône, on December 25, 1833, Firmin Maillard was a French journalist, man of letters, and memoirist of the press. Library and reference sources consistently identify him as an author of historical and literary works, and place his death in 1901.
Maillard is especially associated with books on Parisian literary life and print culture. Among the works linked to him by the Bibliothèque nationale de France are Les derniers bohêmes, Henri Murger et son temps (1874), Les passionnés du livre (1896), and Le requiem des gens de lettres (1901). Other records describe him as a contributor to newspapers including Le Figaro, which fits the tone of his writing: observant, curious, and drawn to the people and habits that shaped the literary world around him.
Today, he is remembered less as a novelist of a single famous title than as a sharp chronicler of 19th-century French literary society. His books remain appealing for readers interested in old Paris, journalism, bibliophilia, and the everyday drama of writers and publishers.