author
Pierre-Alexandre Gratet-Duplessis
1792–1853
A 19th-century French man of letters, he moved easily between scholarship, publishing, and public education. He is especially remembered for his work on old texts, literary curiosities, and French proverbs.
1 Audiobook
Dictionnaire des calembours et des jeux de mots, lazzis, coqs-à-l'âne, quolibets, quiproquos, amphigouris, etc.
by Eugène Le Gai, Pierre-Alexandre Gratet-Duplessis
About the author
Born in Janville on December 16, 1792, and dead in Paris on May 21, 1853, Pierre-Alexandre Gratet-Duplessis was a French writer, editor, and education official. Sources consulted during this search describe him as a professor and school administrator who later became rector in the French academy system, with posts linked to places including Caen and Douai.
He also wrote under the pseudonym Hilaire Le Gai. His bibliography shows a strong taste for literary history and rare books, and he is associated with editions of older works as well as studies of proverbs and bibliographic oddities. That mix of scholarship and curiosity gives his writing a lively, rummaging feel that still appeals to readers interested in the byways of French literature.
Records from the Bibliothèque nationale de France and related library sources also connect him with the Société des bibliophiles français, which fits his reputation as a careful editor and lover of books. Rather than being known for a single famous title, he stands out as one of those devoted 19th-century literary figures who helped preserve, organize, and reintroduce older texts for new readers.