13 November 2016

Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (continued): #42: Marie-Joseph de Chénier


'MARIE JOSEPH
DE CHÉNIER,
NÉ À CONSTANTINOPLE
EN 1764;
FILS DE LOUIS
DE CHÉNIER,
ET ÉLIZABETH
SANTI L'HOMAKA,
1811.'

Poet and dramatist Marie-Joseph Chénier (1764–1811) gave up a military career to devote himself to literature, but met with little success.  He began at the Comédie-Française in 1785 with the two-act play Edgar, ou le Page supposé, which was booed from start to finish. His tragedy Azémire the following year met with no better reception. However, his tragedy Charles IX in 1789 was a great success, although politics got in the way. If remembered at all today it is in relation to his elder brother André's execution, although it seems that he can take no responsibility for that, and his efforts to save him were fruitless. Madame de Staël recognised his talent, but claimed that he couldn't exploit it to any benefit because his ego was too great.

No comments: