An interpretation plaque in Sisteron, where Paul Arène was born, states among other things that he left Sisteron to study Philosophy in Marseilles. He wrote short stories and Pierrot héritier, a play successfully performed in 1865 in Paris. The plaque also mentions his role in writing Alphonse Daudet's Lettres de mon moulin, and his enthusiasm with Frédéric Mistral for the Félibige. He shared his time between Paris and Sisteron. He wrote numerous works that have a strong flavour of Provence, and his most famous novels are Domnine and Jean des Figues. His health failing, he spent his winters in Antibes with his sister Isabelle, where he died exhausted on 17 December 1896. His body was returned to Sisteron.
'Tombe de
Paul ARÈNE
Romancier, Conteur et Poète'
'ICI REPOSE
AUPRÈS DE SON PÈRE
ADOLPHE ET DE SA MÈRE
MARIE LOUISE REINE
NÉE LAGRANGE
LE POÈTE ET ÉCRIVAIN
PAUL ARÈNE
NÉ A SISTERON 1843
DÉCÉDÉ À ANTIBES 1896'
Friends and admirers of Paul Arène erected this bust in the town the year after his death.
And it's good to see that his name is not forgotten: this memorial was erected opposite the bust in 1993. But how many people visiting the Citadelle go and see his tomb across the road?
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