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Artists' Wives

Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the father of writers Léon Daudet and Lucien Daudet.

52 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1866

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About the author

Alphonse Daudet

1,880 books201 followers
Stories of life of French writer Alphonse Daudet of the naturalist school in his native Provence include Lettres de mon moulin (1869).

Louis Marie Alphonse Daudet authored novels. He was the younger brother of Ernest Daudet. He was married to Julia Daudet and the father of Léon Daudet, Lucien Daudet and Edmée Daudet, all writers.

Family on both sides belonged to the bourgeoisie. Vincent Daudet, the father, manufactured silk, but misfortune and failure dogged the man through life. A boyhood depressed Alphonse amid much truancy had. He spent his days mainly at Lyon, left in 1856, and began life as a schoolteacher at Alès, Gard, in the south. The position proved intolerable. As Charles Dickens declared that all through his prosperous career, the miseries of his apprenticeship to the blacking business haunted him in dreams, so after Daudet left Alès, he woke with horror, thinking for months that he still dwelt among his unruly pupils.

On 1 November 1857, he abandoned teaching and took refuge with Ernest Daudet, his brother only some three years his senior, who tried "soberly" to make a living as a journalist in Paris. Alphonse took to writing, and a small volume, Les Amoureuses (1858), collected his poems and met with a fair reception. He obtained employment on Le Figaro, then under energetic editorship of Cartier de Villemessant, and wrote two or three plays; those interested in literature began to recognize him as possessing individuality and promise. Morny, all-powerful minister of Napoleon III, appointed Daudet, who held a post of his secretaries till death of Morny in 1865, and Morny showed Daudet no small kindness. Daudet put his foot on the road to fortune.

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5 stars
16 (19%)
4 stars
25 (30%)
3 stars
30 (36%)
2 stars
10 (12%)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Gabriela Pistol.
700 reviews256 followers
July 19, 2019
Douasprezece tablouri delicioase, pline de ironie, muscand din tot ce e fals, ipocrit, pseudo-intelectual, pseudo-artistic in lumea burgheza, dar si din vanitatea artistilor insisi.
Profile Image for Hosna.
552 reviews22 followers
May 22, 2025
همان که عنوان کتاب می‌گوید. داستانهایی بامزه از بدیهای ازدواج برای هر هنرمندی.
Profile Image for Socrate.
6,756 reviews282 followers
October 6, 2021
Tolăniţi cu trabucul în gură pe un divan încăpător de atelier, doi prieteni ― un poet şi un pictor ― discutau într-o seară, după cină.

Era ora efuziunilor, a confidenţelor. Lampa strălucea blând de sub abajur, limitându-şi cercul luminos la intimitatea conversaţiei, abia lăsând să se distingă luxul capricios al pereţilor ampli încărcaţi cu tablouri, panoplii, tapiserii şi terminându-se sus de tot cu nişte geamuri prin care albastrul întunecat al cerului pătrundea în voie. Numai un portret de femeie, uşor aplecată înainte, parcă pentru a asculta, ieşea pe jumătate din umbră, tânără, cu ochii inteligenţi, cu gura tristă şi delicioasă, cu un surâs spiritual care părea să apere şevaletul soţului împotriva nerozilor şi-a celor care-ar fi încercat să-l descurajeze. Un scăunel la distanţă de foc, doi pantofiori albaştri aruncaţi pe covor indicau totodată prezenţa unui copil în casă; şi, într-adevăr, dinspre camera alăturată, unde mama şi bebeluşul tocmai dispăruseră, veneau în valuri râsete catifelate, gângurit de copil, tărăboiul amuzant al unui cuib care adoarme. Toate acestea răspândeau în interiorul artistic un vag parfum de fericire familială la care poetul aspira cu plăcere:

― Bineînţeles, dragul meu, i se adresă el prietenului său, ai avut dreptate. Nu există mai multe moduri de a fi fericit. Asta e fericirea şi nimic altceva… Trebuie să-mi găseşti o soţie.

Pictorul:

― Pe legea mea! Nu, sub nicio formă… Găseşte-ţi-o singur, dacă ţii cu tot dinadinsul. Eu nu mă amestec.

Poetul:

― Dar de ce?

Pictorul:

― Pentru că… pentru că artişii nu trebuie să se căsătorească.

Poetul:

― Iată cine este mai puternic… îndrăzneşti să spui asta aici, iar lampa nu se stinge brusc, pereţii nu-ţi cad în cap… închipuie-ţi, aşadar, bietul de tine, că tocmai mi-ai oferit timp de două ore spectacolul şi pofta acestei fericiri pe care mi-o interzici. Să fii oare precum acei bogătaşi meschini care-şi sporesc plăcerea hrănindu-se cu suferinţele altora şi se simt mai bine în colţul lor încălzit dacă se gândesc că afară plouă şi că există nişte amărâţi acolo fără adăpost?…

Pictorul:

― Eşti liber să crezi ce vrei despre mine. Te îndrăgesc prea mult ca să te-ajut să faci o prostie ― o prostie ireparabilă.

Poetul:

― Să vedem. Ce s-a întâmplat? Să-nţeleg că nu eşti mulţumit?… Şi totuşi, mi se pare că aici respirăm fericirea la fel de mult ca aerul curat printr-o fereastră de la ţară.
Profile Image for Colettemariehayes.
60 reviews6 followers
January 8, 2010
was waiting for a pearl in this collection of (very!) short stories. didn't find one. although the one about the French poet that marries an Italian woman who goes bat-you-know-what-crazy after her husband, talking passionately with his hands, accidentally breaks a good bottle of wine...that may have been the pearl.
Profile Image for Merinde.
129 reviews
August 8, 2011
Amusing. The position of women was obviously very different at the time, and it was interesting how this affected how they behaved. I couldn't help thinking that a lot of the trouble happening could have been avoided if it weren't for how these people were raised and taught to behave. Light reading, nice enough while it lasted.
Profile Image for Heli.
459 reviews19 followers
August 8, 2013
"Taiteilijan avioliitto. Pariisilaisia kuvia" on viehättävä näköispainos vuoden 1909 suomennoksesta. Pikku kirjan prologi ja 13 novellia käsittelevät ranskalaisen boheemiväen perhe-elämän epäonnea. Ei selvästikään ole kannattavaa ryhtyä taiteilijan siipaksi! Vanhanaikainen kieli ja tarkat havainnot ihmisluonteesta huvittivat - hyvällä tavalla.
Profile Image for Andra.
380 reviews19 followers
May 24, 2012
I really liked the storys because they talk about love and they are a little bitter-sweet (maybe a little more bitter than sweet :)), but still really funny). Even if the book is called Aetists` Wives, I think it talks about marriage in general and the so many differences between men and women.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews