author
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
1786–1859
A leading voice of French Romantic poetry, her work turns private sorrow, love, and resilience into writing that still feels intimate and alive. She was also a stage performer, and that sense of music and feeling runs through much of what she wrote.
3 Audiobooks
Le Livre des Mères et des Enfants, Tome I
by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
Le Livre des Mères et des Enfants, Tome II
by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
Le livre des enfants
by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
About the author
Born in Douai in 1786, Marceline Desbordes-Valmore lived through hardship from an early age. Reference works describe how her family was ruined during the French Revolution, how she traveled with her mother to Guadeloupe in search of help, and how she returned to France after her mother's death there.
She first made her way as an actress and singer, performing at theaters including the Opéra-Comique and the Odéon before building her literary career. She later became known as a poet, novelist, and woman of letters associated with the Romantic period.
Her poetry is often remembered for its emotional directness, tenderness, and musical quality. She was praised in her lifetime and remains one of the most distinctive French women writers of the nineteenth century.