M. Ducray-Duminil

François Guillaume Ducray-Duminil (1761, in Paris – 29 October 1819, in Ville-d'Avray) was a French novelist, poet and songwriter.

Career

Born in Paris, from 1790 onward, Ducray-Duminil was the literary editor of Les Petites Affiches where he was known for the great forbearance of his reviews. A member of several literary societies, most notably of the Société du Caveau, he wrote poetry and lyrics as well as a few plays that were never produced.

He is best known as a writer for children and young adults, a genre in which he became extremely popular. Worried about the moral message of his works, he saw to it that virtue and innocence should prevail after a series of ingenious twists in the plot.

In Les Misérables Victor Hugo refers to his works as "stupid romances" which the favourite reading of Madame Thénardier. Critics ridiculed his style and syntax, but he mainly aimed at clarity, an essential quality considering the type of audience he was addressing. His imagination was fertile, and the enduring success of his work is largely due to his talent as a story-teller. Many playwrights borrowed from his plots.

He died in Ville-d'Avray.

Bibliography

Michel Manson, Les Livres pour l'enfance et la jeunesse sous la Révolution, Paris, INRP, 1989, pp. 85–89

Gustave Vapereau, Dictionnaire universel des littératures, Paris, Hachette, 1876, p. 666