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Paul Bourget: Biography, Facts and Career

Who is Paul Bourget? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team4 min read✓ Fact-checked
Paul Bourget
Charles Gallot via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Paul Charles Joseph Bourget (French: [buʁʒɛ]; 2 September 1852 – 25 December 1935) was a French poet, novelist and critic. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Paul Bourget was born in Amiens, France. He initially abandoned Catholicism but eventually returned to it in the late 19th century. Bourget is known for his psychological and moralistic novels that often portrayed the complex emotions of women and the ideas, passions, and failures of young men in France. Some of his notable works include Le Disciple (1889), a bestseller that explored the consequences of materialism and positivism, and other novels such as Cruelle énigme (1885), André Cornelis (1886), and Mensonges (1887). He was admitted to the Académie Française in 1894 and was promoted to be an officer of the Légion d'honneur in 1895. Bourget's early career was marked by volumes of verse, but he later found success in literary journalism, and his critical works such as Sensations d'Italie (1891) are highly regarded. Though his novels were widely popular in his time, they have since been largely forgotten by the general reading public. Nonetheless, Bourget remains an important figure in French literature for his psychological and moralistic approach to fiction, and his influence can be seen in the works of several composers, including Claude Debussy, who set some of Bourget's poems to music.

Quick facts about Paul Bourget

  • Full name: Paul Bourget
  • Born: 1852-09-02
  • Nationality: France
  • Known as: Author
  • Wikidata ID: Q198644

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Paul Bourget?

Paul Charles Joseph Bourget (French: [buʁʒɛ]; 2 September 1852 – 25 December 1935) was a French poet, novelist and critic.

What nationality is Paul Bourget?

Paul Bourget is France.

When was Paul Bourget born?

Paul Bourget was born on 1852-09-02.

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