Paschal Grousset

Jean François Paschal Grousset (7 April 1844, in Corte – 9 April 1909, in Paris) was a French politician, journalist, translator and science fiction writer. Grousset published under the pseudonyms of André Laurie, Philippe Daryl, Tiburce Moray and Léopold Virey.

Life and career

Grousset was born in Corte, Corsica, and studied medicine before commencing a journalistic career. In 1869 he began working for the weekly newspaper La Marseillaise, writing pro-revolutionary articles. As a result of an attempt by Grousset to challenge Pierre Napoleon Bonaparte to a duel during 1870, Grousset's second, Victor Noir, was shot and killed by Bonaparte during a quarrel. Later the same year Grousset was sentenced to six months imprisonment. He was elected a member of the Paris Commune, becoming a member of its executive committee and Delegate for External Affairs.

After the fall of the Commune, he was arrested and, in 1872, he was deported to New Caledonia. He escaped, and lived in Sydney, San Francisco, New York City and London, making a living by teaching French. He returned to France after the 1880 amnesty, becoming involved in literature and physical culture, but eventually returning to politics and, in 1893, becoming a Socialist Deputy for the 12th arrondissement of Paris.

Like Jules Verne, he was another discovery of publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel. Two of his manuscripts were modified by Jules Verne to become Les Cinq Cent Millions de la Begum (1879) and L'Étoile du Sud (1884), and credited to Verne. L'Épave du Cynthia (1885) was attributed to both Verne and Laurie; it is entirely Grousset's work.