Félix Pyat
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| - | The term '''Bohemian''' was first used in the [[nineteenth century]] to describe the [[History of subcultures in the 19th century|non-traditional lifestyles]] of marginalized and [[starving artist|impoverished artist]]s, [[writer]]s, [[musician]]s, and [[actor]]s in major European cities. The bohemian lifestyle is often associated with [[café]]s, [[coffeehouse]]s, [[drugs|drug use]] (particularly [[opium]]), [[alcoholism]], and [[absinthe]]. Bohemians were associated with [[unorthodox]] or [[anti-establishment]] political or social viewpoints, which were expressed through [[extramarital]] sexual relations and [[simple living|voluntary poverty]]. | + | '''Félix Pyat''' (4 October 1810 - 3 August 1889) was a French [[Socialist]] [[journalist]] and [[politician]]. |
| - | The term emerged in [[France]] in the 1800s when artists and creators began to concentrate in the lower-rent, lower class [[Roma people|gypsy]] neighbourhoods. The term "Bohemian" reflects a belief, widely held in France at the time, that the Gypsies had come from [[Bohemia]]. | + | ==Biography== |
| + | He was born in [[Vierzon]] ([[Cher (department)|Cher]]), the son of a [[Legitimist]] lawyer. Called to the bar in Paris in 1831, he threw his whole energies into journalism. The violent personal attacks in a pamphlet entitled ''Marie-Joseph Chénier et le prince des critiques'' (1844), in reply to [[Jules Janin]], brought him a six-months sojourn in the Sainte-Pélagie prison, in the cell just vacated by [[Lamennais]]. | ||
| - | :The first usage of the term "Bohemian" (meaning, literally, "Gypsy") to refer to the disaffected and impoverished young artists and students of Paris has been traced to a popular French journalist and dramatist, [[Felix Pyat]], who wrote a series of essays about "kids today" in a publication called [[Nouveau Tableau de Paris au XIX Siecle]] in 1834. He described this personality type as "alien and bizarre ... outside the law, beyond the reaches of society ... they are the Bohemians of today." | + | He worked with other dramatists in a long series of plays, with an interval of six years on the National, until the revolution of 1848. [[George Sand]], whom he had introduced in 1830 to the staff of ''[[Le Figaro]]'', now asked [[Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin|Ledru-Rollin]] to make him commissary-general of the Cher. After three months tenure of this office he was elected by the Cher department to the [[Constituent Assembly]], where he voted with [[the Mountain]], and brought forward the celebrated motion for the abolition of the presidential office. |
| - | The term did not catch on in a huge way, though, until 1845 when a writer named Henry Murger, himself a bohemian (and the model for his own character Rodolphe), began producing a series of stories about himself and his friends for a small Paris newspaper called Le Corsaire-Satan. These stories were later collected in book form and staged as a play, Scenes de la vie de Boheme, which was a tremendous hit and an almost unbelievably definitive influence on French society. Today this play is mainly known as the source of the Puccini opera 'La Boheme', but the opera was not introduced until 1896, when the Bohemian youth movement had already been old news for decades. -- [[Levi Asher]][http://www.litkicks.com/BeatPages/page.jsp?what=LaBoheme] | + | About this time he fought a duel with [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon|Proudhon]], who had called him the aristocrat of democracy. He joined Ledru-Rollin in the attempted insurrection of 13 June 1849, after which he sought refuge in Switzerland, Belgium, and finally in England, where he became involved with the irregular [[freemasonry|masonic]] organisation, [[Rite of Memphis-Misraim|La Grande Loge des Philadelphes]] For having glorified regicide after Orsini's attempt on the life of [[Napoleon III]] he was brought before an English court, but acquitted, and the general amnesty of 1869 permitted his return to France. However, further outbursts against the authorities, followed by prosecution, compelled him to return to England. |
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| + | The deposing of Napoleon III on the 4 September 1870 brought him back to Paris, and it was he who in his paper ''[[Le Combat]]'' displayed a black-edged announcement of the negotiations for the surrender of [[Metz]] to the Prussians. After the insurrection of the 31st of October he was imprisoned for a short time. In January 1871, ''Le Combat'' was suppressed, only to be followed by an equally virulent ''[[Vengeur]]''. | ||
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| + | Elected to the [[National Assembly of France]], he retired from [[Bordeaux]], where it sat, with [[Henri Rochefort]] and others until such time as the so-called "parricidal" vote for peace should be annulled. He returned to Paris to join the Committee of Public Safety, and, in [[Gabriel Hanotaux|Hanotaux]]'s words, was the ''me ulcre'' of the [[Paris Commune]], but was blamed for the loss of the fort of [[Issy]]. He was superseded on the Committee by [[Delescluze]], but he continued to direct some of the violent acts of the Commune, the overthrow of the Vendôme column, the destruction of [[Thiers]]'s residence and of the expiatory chapel built to the memory of [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]]. He escaped the vengeance of the Versailles government, crossed the frontier in safety, and, though he had been condemned to death in his absence in 1873, the general amnesty of July 1880 permitted his return to Paris. | ||
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| + | He was elected to the [[Chamber of Deputies of France|Chamber of Deputies]] for the department of [[Bouches-du-Rhône]] in March 1888 and took his seat on the extreme Left, but died at [[Saint-Gratien]] the following year. | ||
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Revision as of 12:01, 27 December 2013
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Félix Pyat (4 October 1810 - 3 August 1889) was a French Socialist journalist and politician.
Biography
He was born in Vierzon (Cher), the son of a Legitimist lawyer. Called to the bar in Paris in 1831, he threw his whole energies into journalism. The violent personal attacks in a pamphlet entitled Marie-Joseph Chénier et le prince des critiques (1844), in reply to Jules Janin, brought him a six-months sojourn in the Sainte-Pélagie prison, in the cell just vacated by Lamennais.
He worked with other dramatists in a long series of plays, with an interval of six years on the National, until the revolution of 1848. George Sand, whom he had introduced in 1830 to the staff of Le Figaro, now asked Ledru-Rollin to make him commissary-general of the Cher. After three months tenure of this office he was elected by the Cher department to the Constituent Assembly, where he voted with the Mountain, and brought forward the celebrated motion for the abolition of the presidential office.
About this time he fought a duel with Proudhon, who had called him the aristocrat of democracy. He joined Ledru-Rollin in the attempted insurrection of 13 June 1849, after which he sought refuge in Switzerland, Belgium, and finally in England, where he became involved with the irregular masonic organisation, La Grande Loge des Philadelphes For having glorified regicide after Orsini's attempt on the life of Napoleon III he was brought before an English court, but acquitted, and the general amnesty of 1869 permitted his return to France. However, further outbursts against the authorities, followed by prosecution, compelled him to return to England.
The deposing of Napoleon III on the 4 September 1870 brought him back to Paris, and it was he who in his paper Le Combat displayed a black-edged announcement of the negotiations for the surrender of Metz to the Prussians. After the insurrection of the 31st of October he was imprisoned for a short time. In January 1871, Le Combat was suppressed, only to be followed by an equally virulent Vengeur.
Elected to the National Assembly of France, he retired from Bordeaux, where it sat, with Henri Rochefort and others until such time as the so-called "parricidal" vote for peace should be annulled. He returned to Paris to join the Committee of Public Safety, and, in Hanotaux's words, was the me ulcre of the Paris Commune, but was blamed for the loss of the fort of Issy. He was superseded on the Committee by Delescluze, but he continued to direct some of the violent acts of the Commune, the overthrow of the Vendôme column, the destruction of Thiers's residence and of the expiatory chapel built to the memory of Louis XVI. He escaped the vengeance of the Versailles government, crossed the frontier in safety, and, though he had been condemned to death in his absence in 1873, the general amnesty of July 1880 permitted his return to Paris.
He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the department of Bouches-du-Rhône in March 1888 and took his seat on the extreme Left, but died at Saint-Gratien the following year.
