Emile Bergerat

Émile Bergerat (29 April 1845 – 13 October 1923) was a French poet, playwright and essayist. He used the pseudonyms l'Homme masqué (the masked man), Caliban and Ariel (the latter two drawn from The Tempest by William Shakespeare). A library in Neuilly-sur-Seine opposite his flat bears his name.

Life

Bergerat was born in Paris. An essayist for Voltaire and Figaro, head of the La Vie moderne review under the editorship of Georges Charpentier and a member of the Académie Goncourt, he was the son in law of Théophile Gautier and the brother in law of Théophile Gautier (fils). Émile Bergerat married Estelle Gautier, daughter of Théophile Gautier, and they had one son, Théo Bergerat, director and radio essayist. Théophile wrote in a letter to Carlotta Grisi that Émile was

a young poet who wrote Les Cuirassiers de Reichshoffen, a verse play about battle, which was an immense success during the siege [of Paris] and which was then re-produced throughout France - not only is he a poet, but he writes very well in prose and his work is certain and regular. He is also the most fervent admirer of mine and we work side by side, on the same journal, at the Bien Public

Bergerat died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, aged 78.