Octave Mirbeau

Octave Henri Marie Mirbeau (February 16, 1848 – February 16, 1917) was a French art critic and novelist.

Related Topics:
February 16 - 1848 - 1917 - Art critic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mirbeau was born at Trevieres, Calvados, France. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War and after the war became a journalist, writing art and theater criticism as well as political articles for newspapers in Paris.

Related Topics:
Trevieres - Calvados - France - Franco-Prussian War - Paris

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1885 Mirbeau embraced anarchism, and believed in the philosophy until his death. Continuously writing articles for anarchist periodicals, he was well-known as one of the leading anarchist men of letters.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He also became an important art critic, especially in the 1890s, writing at length on the Impressionist and avant-garde movements in Montmartre and Montparnasse, believing it to be the foundation of a cultural revolution in France. He was a founding member of the Académie Goncourt.

Related Topics:
1890s - Impressionist - Avant-garde - Montmartre - Montparnasse - Académie Goncourt

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mirbeau is credited with the discovery of the Belgian writer, and Nobel Prize winner, Maurice Maeterlinck, and he contributed significantly to the careers of Camille Pissarro, Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, and other important artists of the time.

Related Topics:
Nobel Prize - Maurice Maeterlinck - Camille Pissarro - Auguste Rodin - Claude Monet

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Responsible for more than 1,200 short stories and articles, Mirbeau was also an author of plays and full length novels. His two best-known novels are The Torture Gardens (Le Jardin des supplice) and The Diary of a Chambermaid (Le Journal d'une femme de chambre). Mirbeau experienced depression all of his life, and his plays are primarily dark comedies.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Despite his leftist views, Octave Mirbeau was an astute financier who accumulated a small fortune. He died on his 69th birthday and was interred in Cimetière de Passy, Paris, France.

Related Topics:
Cimetière de Passy - Paris, France

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~