author
Jean Richepin
1849–1926
A restless, larger-than-life figure of French letters, this poet, novelist, and playwright brought the voices of society’s outsiders onto the page with unusual energy and nerve. His work mixed bold realism with a taste for drama, helping make him one of the memorable literary personalities of his time.
1 Audiobook
La Glu
by Jean Richepin
About the author
Born in Médéa, Algeria, on February 4, 1849, Jean Richepin was the son of an army doctor and was educated at the École Normale Supérieure. Early accounts of his life describe him as brilliant but unruly, and that spirit carried into both his adventures and his writing.
Richepin became known as a poet, novelist, and dramatist whose work often focused on people living at the edges of society. He caused a stir with La Chanson des gueux in 1876, a book whose rough energy and frank language made him famous and controversial at the same time.
Over the years, his career broadened across poetry, fiction, and the stage, and he eventually entered the Académie française in 1908. He died in Paris on December 12, 1926, leaving behind a body of work remembered for its vivid language, theatrical force, and sympathy for outcasts and wanderers.