Louise-Victorine Ackermann
Encyclopedia
Louise-Victorine Ackermann (née Choquet) (30 November 1813 – 2 August 1890) was a French
poet
.
She was born in Nice, but spent her younger days in more rural surroundings near Montdidier
, south-east of Amiens
. In 1829 her father, having undertaken her early education, in the philosophy of the Encyclopaedists, sent her to school in Paris; in 1838 Victorine Choquet went to Berlin
to study German
, and there married in 1843 Paul Ackermann, an Alsatian
philologist
. After little more than two years of happy married life her husband died, and Madame Ackermann went to live in Nice
with a favorite sister. In 1855 she published Contes en vers, and in 1862 Contes et poésies.
Very different from these simple and charming contes is the work on which Madame Ackermann's real reputation rests. She published in 1874 Poésies, premières poésies, poésies philosophiques, a volume of sombre and powerful verse, expressing her revolt against human suffering. The volume was enthusiastically reviewed in the Revue des deux mondes
for May 1871 by E. Caro, who, though he deprecated the impiété désespérée of the verses, did full justice to their vigour and the excellence of their form.
Soon after the publication of this volume Madame Ackermann moved back to Paris, where she gathered round her a circle of friends, but published nothing further except a prose volume, the Pensées d'un solitaire ("Thoughts of a Recluse", 1883), to which she prefixed a short autobiography. She died at Nice on August 2, 1890.
See also Anatole France
, La vie littéraire, 4th series (1892); the comte d'Haussonville, Mme Ackermann (1882); M. Citoleux, La poésie philosophique au XIXe siècle (vol. 1., Mme Ackermann d'après de nombreux documents inédits, Paris, 1906).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
She was born in Nice, but spent her younger days in more rural surroundings near Montdidier
Montdidier
Montdidier is the name of several communes in France:* Montdidier, in the Moselle département* Montdidier, in the Somme département...
, south-east of Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
. In 1829 her father, having undertaken her early education, in the philosophy of the Encyclopaedists, sent her to school in Paris; in 1838 Victorine Choquet went to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to study German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and there married in 1843 Paul Ackermann, an Alsatian
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
. After little more than two years of happy married life her husband died, and Madame Ackermann went to live in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
with a favorite sister. In 1855 she published Contes en vers, and in 1862 Contes et poésies.
Very different from these simple and charming contes is the work on which Madame Ackermann's real reputation rests. She published in 1874 Poésies, premières poésies, poésies philosophiques, a volume of sombre and powerful verse, expressing her revolt against human suffering. The volume was enthusiastically reviewed in the Revue des deux mondes
Revue des deux mondes
The Revue des deux Mondes is a French language monthly literary and cultural affairs magazine that has been published in Paris since 1829....
for May 1871 by E. Caro, who, though he deprecated the impiété désespérée of the verses, did full justice to their vigour and the excellence of their form.
Soon after the publication of this volume Madame Ackermann moved back to Paris, where she gathered round her a circle of friends, but published nothing further except a prose volume, the Pensées d'un solitaire ("Thoughts of a Recluse", 1883), to which she prefixed a short autobiography. She died at Nice on August 2, 1890.
See also Anatole France
Anatole France
Anatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
, La vie littéraire, 4th series (1892); the comte d'Haussonville, Mme Ackermann (1882); M. Citoleux, La poésie philosophique au XIXe siècle (vol. 1., Mme Ackermann d'après de nombreux documents inédits, Paris, 1906).