Hector Malot

Hector-Henri Malot (Hector Malot) (French pronunciation: [ɛktɔʁ malo]; 20 May 1830 – 18 July 1907) was a French writer born in La Bouille, Seine-Maritime. He studied law in Rouen and Paris, but eventually literature became his passion. He worked as a dramatic critic for Lloyd Francais and as a literary critic for L'Opinion Nationale.

His first book, published in 1859, was Les Amants. In total Malot wrote over 70 books. By far his most famous book is Sans Famille (Nobody's Boy, 1878), which deals with the travels of the young orphan Remi, who is sold to the street musician Vitalis at age 8. Sans Famille gained fame as a children's book, though it was not originally intended as such.

Birth

Hector Malot's parents were Marie-Anne-Victoire Le Bourgeois and Jean Baptiste Malot. They got married on September 30, 1826, each for the second time.

From the union was born a child named Victor who died at a young age. On May 20, 1830 Hector was born in the family home of La Bouille, on the banks of the Seine.

A few hours after his birth, a sailboat moored in front of the house suddenly veers dangerously towards it. It broke the window of the newborn’s room with its bowsprit. When a crowd gathered they found little Hector sleeping peacefully as if nothing happened, which is seen as an omen of an unusual destiny.

From La Bouille to Bosc-Bénard-Commin

Hector spends the first years of his childhood in La Bouille. He observes the ships loading or unloading their cargoes, those leaving for distant destinations; he observes the passage of the ferry, the comings and goings of the stagecoaches, the customers of the inns, etc.