Henri Murger

Born in Paris on March 27, 1822, Henri Murger was a French novelist and poet who grew up in modest circumstances. He left school young and knew firsthand the uncertainty and poverty he would later describe so memorably in his work.

His most famous book, Scènes de la vie de bohème, first appeared in the late 1840s and drew on his own experiences among struggling writers and artists in Paris. The book became hugely influential for its lively, sympathetic picture of youthful ambition, friendship, love, and hardship.

Murger died in Paris on January 28, 1861, still relatively young. Although he is not always as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, his portrait of bohemian life has had a long afterlife through theater, opera, and popular culture.