Hero at Dode. Alphonse Daudet biography

Alphonse Daudet (French Alphonse Daudet; 1840-1897) is a French novelist and playwright, author of vivid stories from the life of Provence, creator of the iconic image of the romantic and braggart Tartarin from Tarascon.

Alphonse Daudet was born on May 13, 1840 in the (Provencal) city of Nimes into the family of the owner of a small silk factory, Vincent Daudet (1806-1875). In 1848, the father went bankrupt, the factory was sold, and the family moved to Lyon. Without the financial opportunity to obtain higher education, future writer at the end high school entered the position of assistant teacher at a provincial college, but soon left this occupation and at the age of seventeen, together with his older brother Ernest, moved to Paris to earn a living as a journalist.

The autobiographical novel “The Kid” (Le Petit Chose, 1868) tells about this period of his life. However, fame came to the writer earlier - with the publication of the prose collection “Letters from My Mill” (1866).

Alphonse Daudet began collaborating in several newspapers in 1859 as a reporter and theater critic. In 1860 he was introduced to the Duke de Morny, who served as President of the Legislative Corps of the Second Empire. Daudet received the position of one of his secretaries, which did not prevent Alphonse from engaging in journalism and literary activity. Daudet spent almost five years in the service of de Morny, until the Duke’s death in 1865.

In 1867, the young writer married and began to live exclusively by literary work.

Creation

In the period 1866-1868, his original lyrical short stories about the nature and people of Provence were published regularly in newspapers. They were published in 1869 as a separate book entitled Letters from My Mill.

Almost at the same time, the text of Alphonse Daudet’s first novel, “The Kid,” was published in the press, which was published as a separate book in 1868. These two works brought fame and money to the writer.

From December 1869 to March 1870, newspapers published his new novel « Extraordinary Adventures Tartarin from Tarascon,” which was published as a separate book in 1872.

By the age of 30, Alphonse Daudet had become one of the most famous French writers, became close to the circle of leading writers of the country, made friends with Flaubert, Zola, the Goncourt brothers and Turgenev, who was then living in Paris.

The publication of the novels Fromon the Younger and Risler the Elder (1874) and Jack (1876) caused a new surge in his popularity.

The writer's main works, which brought him world fame, were written within one decade (1866-1876), but he lived for more than 20 years (died in 1897) and published a novel almost every year, most of which, although not published to the level of his first books, but had high artistic qualities that made it possible to count him among the top five largest writers in France late XIX century.

IN late period In Daudet’s work, critical tendencies intensified; he wrote sharp socially revealing novels (“Nabob” - 1877; “Kings in Exile” - 1879; “Numa Rumestan” - 1881; “Evangelist” - 1883; “Immortal” - 1888).

In the 80s, the writer again turned to the image of Tartarin from Tarascon and wrote two more novels about him: “Tartarin in the Alps. New adventures of the Tarascon hero" - (1885) and "Port of Tarascon. The last adventures of the famous Tartarin" (1890).

At the same time, around the mid-80s, Daudet showed an increasingly clear interest in psychological analysis, to depict not so much social as internal, even purely biological, motivations that push a person to certain actions (“Sappho” - 1884); “Rose and Ninetta” - 1891; "Little Parish" - 1895; “Family Support” - 1897.

Of Daudet’s plays, the most famous is the dramatic adaptation of his own story “The Arlesian Woman” (L’Arlsienne, 1872), which owes much of its success to the music of J. Bizet. But the main thing in Daudet’s work is prose. Here two main directions can be distinguished: one is distinguished by humor, irony and vivid imagination; the other is characterized by naturalistic accuracy of observations and extreme realism.

The first category includes the Provencal “Letters from my mill” (Lettres de mon moulin, 1869) and “Tartarin from Tarascon” (Tartarin de Tarascon, 1872) - his most original and famous works. The second group includes mainly large realistic novels, in which he, without showing much imagination, copies characters from real persons, and most often chooses Paris as the location.

"Letters from My Mill"

In this work, Daudet shows that there is a completely different life, that there are people who live according to the natural and fair laws of nature. They do not make money, do not pursue wealth and luxury, do not wallow in vices, but work honestly, know how to love sincerely and passionately, are content with little, rejoice in the beautiful nature of Provence and bravely endure difficulties.

Stories about such people are based on folklore basis folk legends and tales. The action takes place against the backdrop of the fabulously beautiful nature of the south of France.

The patriarchal, deeply humane world of Provence contrasts with inhumane Paris as a symbol of the brutal progress of civilization, which is what brought millions of readers, especially those who were not successful, to Daudet’s book.

Works

"Fromont jeune et Risler an, 1874"
"Sapho" (Sapho, 1884)
"Jack" (Jack, 1876),
"The Nabob" (Le Nabab, 1877)
"Kings in Exile" (Les Rois en exil, 1879).
"The Extraordinary Adventures of Tartarin of Tarascon" (1872),
"Tartarin in the Alps" (1885),
"Port of Tarascon" (1890).

"Arlesienne" (1872),
"Struggle for Existence" (1889)

Literary memories:

“Memoirs of a Writer” (1888),
"Thirty Years in Paris" (1888).

The novels of Alphonse Daudet are known to many French people and especially in Languedoc. The homeland of Daudet, the famous French writer of the 19th century, is Provence; at that time it was one of the most backward French provinces, where the patriarchal way of life was still revered. Despite this, Provence was distinguished by its originality, which E. Zola wrote about in his essay about Daudet: “We must

know Provence in order to understand the original charm of the poets they send to us. They grow there, among the caraway and lavender, half-Gascon, half-Italian,
lulled by lazy dreams and captivating lies. They have the sun in their blood, and the songs of birds in their heads. They come to Paris to conquer it, with such naive courage that this alone already half ensures their success... In the unforgiving Parisian environment, which wears out characters like a millstone, they remain themselves, retain the character of their homeland, the impressionability of nature and the picturesqueness of language, by which you can always distinguish them from others. These are natural poets, and the songs of their homeland always live in their hearts.”
Alphonse Daudet was born on May 13, 1840 in ancient city Nime is in the family of the owner of a small silk factory, Vincent Daudet.The writer's ancestors were peasants, but his parents belonged to the bourgeois environment. His father, the owner of a silk factory, was entirely occupied with enrichment. The mother was a devout woman and devoted a lot of time to the church, and not to raising children. Alphonse was left to his own devices and spent all his time at the factory or in the huge garden that separated it from his parents' house. But in 1848, the revolution shook even the most remote corners of the country. The patriarchy of Provence begins to recede under the onslaught of capitalism, competition intensifies, as a result of which many small entrepreneurs go bankrupt, and among them the father of Alphonse Daudet. The impoverished family moves to the city of Lyon, where, after graduating from the lyceum, sixteen-year-old Alphonse goes to serve as a teacher at a college for the children of local rich people.But after 7 months of workAt the age of seventeen, he and his older brother Ernest moved to Paris to earn a living as a journalist.labor.

The autobi tells about this period of his life.graphic novel “The Kid” (Le Petit Chose, 1868). This is how the young Alphonse Daudet came to literature, generously giving readers his whole self - his spontaneity as a southerner, his faithful eye and kind heart. This is how his contemporaries recognized and loved him.

Already in 1858, he worked for various newspapers and published his first collection of poems, Amoureuses. Alphonse leads a bohemian lifestyle. And he even gets sick with syphilis. To recover, he traveled to Corsica, Algeria and Provence, where he would draw inspiration for his masterpieces, such as Letters from My Mill, published only in 1869.

In 1860, Alphonse was introduced to the Duke de Morny, who served as President of the Legislative Corps of the Second Empire. Daudet received the position of one of his secretaries, which did not prevent Alphonse from engaging in journalistic and literary activities. Daudet spent almost five years in the service of de Morny until his death

Duke in 1865. After this, Alphonse finds himself in a difficult financial situation. In 1867, he married a wealthy Parisian, Julia Allard, and they had 3 children. This woman was a muse for him, as she felt how his husband was inspired and wrote novels after visiting his beloved Provence. Such support from his wife allows him to study exclusively writing work. On the topic of love, creativity and inspiration, Alphonse will have stories called, which are still relevant today.

From December 1869 to March 1870, newspapers published his new novel, “The Extraordinary Adventures of Tartarin of Tarascon,” which was published as a separate book in 1872.

The history of the appearance of this novel is curious. In 1868, the novel began to be published in the Petit Monitor newspaper without a signature, under the heading “Barbarin from Tarascon.” But after the publication of several feuilletons of this novel, the publication was stopped. Daudet himself explained this by the lack of success among the reader, but his son Lucien
gives a more plausible reason: “Teasing the [Algerian] administration was poorly received in higher spheres" Daudet transferred “Barbaren” to “Figaro”, but he was not lucky here either. “The secretary of the Figaro editorial office at that time was Alexandre Duvernoy... By a strange coincidence, I met Alexandre Duvernoy nine years ago during my cheerful expedition: he was then a modest official of the civil administration in Milianach and since then has retained a truly reverent attitude towards our colonies. Irritated, angry at the way I described Algeria, dear to his heart, he, although he could not prevent the publication of Tartarin, arranged for the thing to be torn into pieces, which, under the terrifying stereotypical pretext of “abundance of material,” were published so rarely that little novel stretched out in the newspaper for the same amount of time as “The Three Musketeers”... Then new unrest. The hero of my book was then called Barbarin of Tarascon. And it just so happens that in Tarascon there lived an old Barbaren family, which threatened me with a complaint to the court if I did not remove their name from this offensive farce. My superstitious fear of courts and justice forced me to agree to replace Barbarin with Tartarin already in the proofs, which I had to revise line by line, scrupulously hunting for the letter “B”. A few pieces on three hundred pages must have escaped my gaze, and in the first edition you can find both Bartarin and Tarbarin...” (“The History of My Books”). The Extraordinary Adventures of Tartarin of Tarascon was published as a separate book after the Franco-Prussian War , in 1872, in the Dantu publishing house with a dedication to his Nîmes friend Doda Gonzaga Privat. The book sold well, although at first it did not have such a resounding success as the subsequent novels of Alphonse Daudet. Not all readers understood what the author was proud of - the typicality of the main character. This is precisely what Daudet emphasized with an epigraph and wrote about this in “The History of My Books: “I must admit that, with all my love for a beautiful style, for harmonious and bright prose, I do not think that they contain everything for a novelist. Her true joy remains something else: to create living beings, to send types across the earth by the power of truth, who then themselves begin to wander among people with the name, with those gestures and antics that the author has endowed them with and which force people to talk about them - whether they are loved or despised - without connection with their creator. I myself always experience the same feeling when they talk about one of the passers-by in front of me. life path, about one of the puppets in a political, artistic or secular comedy.”

By the age of 30, Alphonse Daudet had become one of the most famous French writers, became close to the circle of the country's leading writers, and became friends withFlaubert, Zola, brothersGoncourtand withTurgenev, then living in Paris.

During the Franco-Prussian War, the writer joined an infantry regiment as a soldier. In “Stories on Mondays” he denounced the incompetent command and glorified patriotism and nobility ordinary people. Daudet was hostile to the Paris Commune of 1871.

The writer's main works, the novels of Alphonse Daudet, which brought him world fame, were written within one decade (1866-1876), but he lived for more than 20 years (died in 1897) and published a novel almost every year, most of which, although they did not rise to the level of his first books, they had high artistic qualities that made it possible to count him among the top five largest writers in France at the end of the 19th century.

In the late period of Daudet’s work, critical tendencies intensified; he wrote sharp socially revealing novels (“Nabob” - 1877; “Kings in Exile” - 1879; “Numa Rumestan” - 1881; “Evangelist” - 1883; “Immortal” - 1888) . In the 80s, the writer again turned to the image of Tartarin from Tarascon and wrote two more novels about him: “Tartarin in the Alps. New adventures of the Tarascon hero" - (1885) and "Port of Tarascon. The last adventures of the famous Tartarin" (1890).

Of Daudet’s plays, the most famous is the dramatic adaptation of his own story “The Arlesienne” (L’Arlesienne, 1872), which owes much of its success to the music of Georges Bizet. You can turn on this video and continue reading, this music has a unique atmosphere of that time...

But the main thing in Daudet’s work is prose. Here two main directions can be distinguished: one is distinguished by humor, ironyand vividness of imagination; the other is characterized by naturalistic accuracy of observations and extreme realism. The first category includes the Provencal “Letters from my mill” (Lettres de mon moulin, 1869) and “Tartarin from Tarascon” (Tartarin de Tarascon, 1872) - his most original and famous works. The second group includes mainly large realistic novels, in which he, without showing much imagination, copies characters from real people, and most often chooses Paris as the setting.

The writer highly valued Russian literature, especially Tolstoy and Turgenev, with whom he maintained friendly relations, and listened carefully to the latter’s advice. It was a reader success in Russia, where Tartarin's story was translated many times. On the recommendation of Turgenev, the novel “Kings in Exile” was published in Russian translation in “New Time” in July 1879, a month earlier than in France.

Daudet differs from his contemporaries in the field of the novel mainly in that he does not at all pretend to be calm and dispassionate, to scientific objectivity or artistic service to form, form alone. Like Dickens, with whom he is often and not without reason compared, he loves or hates his heroes, lives their lives and often speaks not only through their mouths, but directly from his own person, contrary to one of the main rules of the naturalistic code.

The writer's hero wears the image of " little man", taken from various walks of life and portrayed with love and humor. The author focuses on his spiritual life, his dreams and aspirations, but life laughs evilly at the dream of the hero Dode, who suffers mental collapse due to circumstances deeply hostile to the bright humanistic principle.

The last years of his life Daudet experienced creative crisis. Daudet died in Paris in 1897 and was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery.

In this video you can watch the film adaptation famous novel Alphonse Daudet "Tartarin from Tarascon".

Tartarin is a small, plump man from a provincial French town in the nineteenth century. Every day he gets ready for his Big Adventure. At the same time, he never managed to leave Tarascon even once in his life. Getting ready to save an expedition in the Alps, he spends too much time training and testing his equipment - and the expedition is already saved without him. Intending to rescue victims of an avalanche, he cannot make up his mind, and someone else does a good deed. Finally, having prepared for the next mission, he meets a young visiting lady who falls in love with him - and what an expedition now! The inhabitants of Tarascon endlessly make fun of Tartarin. And a series comic situations, random coincidences, pranks of neighbors leads to the fact that Tartarin... finally accomplishes the feat of his life. And the whole city admires him...

Main works: novels by Alphonse Daudet “The Extraordinary Adventures of Tartarin of Tarascon” (1872), “Tartarin in the Alps” (1885), “The Port of Tarascon” (1890), “The Kid” (1868), “Fromont the Younger and Risler the Elder” (1874 ), "Jack" (1876), "The Nabob" (1877), "Kings in Exile" (1879), "Numa Rumestan" (1881), "The Evangelist" (1883), "Sappho" (1884), "The Immortal" (1885) and others; collections of stories “Letters from My Mill” (1869), “Stories on Mondays” (1873); books of memories; plays.

Most famous sayings and aphorisms by Alphonse Daudet:

Alphonse Daudet is a French novelist and playwright. Years of life - 1840-1897. The writer is rightfully considered a talented author of stories from the everyday life of Provence, the creator of the iconic romantic character and braggart named Tartarin from Tarascon.

The biography of Alphonse Daudet begins with the date - May 13, 1840. The future literary creator was born in the city of Nîmes into the family of Vincent Daudet, the owner of a small silk fabric production (1806-1875). The family was forced to move to Lyon in 1848 due to ruin. The factory had to be sold. Alphonse did not have the financial opportunity to study at a higher institution. After graduating from high school, he entered a provincial college as an assistant teacher. But soon Daudet leaves this task and at the age of 17, together with his older brother Ernest, goes to Paris to earn money. He decided to make a living as a journalist. This period of life is described in an autobiographical novel entitled “The Kid” (1868, Le Petit Chose).

Since 1859, Alphonse began to collaborate with several newspapers as a reporter and theater critic. In 1860, the talented author was introduced to de Morny, the Duke holding the post of President of the Legislative Corps of the Second Empire. Alphonse Daudet worked as his secretary; this occupation in no way prevented him from pursuing journalism and literature. He remained in the service of the Duke of Daudet for 5 years until de Morny's death in 1865.

The year 1867 is marked by a solemn event for the writer; the marriage of Alphonse and Julia Alyar took place. From their marriage 3 children were born: Lenno, Lucien and daughter Edme.

Creative biography of Alphonse Daudet

Newspapers constantly published true lyrical stories about the people and nature of Provence (1866-1868). They were also published as a separate book in 1869. It was called “Letters from My Mill.” At the same time, the text of the very first novel “Baby” was published in the press. In 1868, the work was published as a separate book. Two creations brought the author not only fame, but also money.

December 1869 - March 1870 newspapers published his new novel “The Extraordinary Adventures of Tartarin from Tarascon.” In 1872, the creation was published as a separate book.

By his thirtieth birthday, Alphonse Daudet had gained unprecedented popularity and became one of the most famous writers in France. He was able to get close to the leading writers of the state, make friends with Zola, Flaubert, Turgenev (at that time he lived in Paris), and the Goncourt brothers.

A new surge of popularity occurred in 1874 and 1876 after the publication of the novels Fromont Jr. and Risler Sr. and Jack.

Works that brought Daudet world fame, were written in one decade (1866-1876). He lived another two decades and died in 1897. Every year, the gifted creator released a novel. Most of these works did not meet the level of his first books, but they all had the highest artistic qualities. Thanks to these indicators, Alphonse Didot was listed in the top five most honored writers of the late 19th century in France.

The late period of creativity is characterized by an intensification of critical tendencies. The author focuses on sharp socially revealing works, such as the novels of 1877 - “The Nabob”, 1879 - “Kings in Exile”, 1881 - “Numa Rumestan”, 1883 - “The Evangelist”, 1888 - “The Immortal”.

In the 80s, Alphonse again returned to the image of Tartarin from Tarascon and wrote 2 more novels about this character: “Tartarin in the Alps. New adventures of the Tarascon hero" - 1885 and "Port of Tarascon. The last adventures of the famous Tartarin" - 1890.

By the mid-80s, the writer had a clear interest in psychoanalysis, depicting internal, biological motivations that force a person to do certain things - “Sappho” (1884), “Rose and Ninetta” - 1891, “ A little prince" - 1895, "Support of the family" - 1897.

Most famous play Daudet is a dramatic adaptation of his story “The Arlesian Woman” - 1872. This creation was influenced by the music of Georges Bizet. But still, the main thing in the biography of Alphonse Daudet is prose with two branches. The first is full of humor, vivid imagination, and irony, the second is characterized by the accuracy of naturalistic observations and extreme realism. The first version includes the Provençal “Letters from my mill” - 1869, “Tartarin from Tarascon” - 1872 - the writer’s original and most popular creations. The second option includes large novels that are distinguished by realism. In them, the author “copies” the characters’ characters from real people, the scene of action is often found in Paris.

The works of the talented writer have been translated into many languages.

In the work “Letters from My Mill,” the author shows that there is a completely different life, that there are people who live the period of time measured by them only according to the fair and natural laws of nature. They do not strive to earn all the money in the world, do not pursue fame and luxury, and do not indulge in vices. Such people work honestly and sincerely love their neighbors. They are content with little, giving a lot. They know how to rejoice beautiful nature Provence and face difficulties with special courage. Stories about such heroes are based on folklore, folk tales and legends. The action unfolds against the backdrop of the magically fabulous nature of the south of France. The human world of Provence counteracts the inhumane Paris as an attribute of the cruel development of civilization, which helped attract millions of readers to Alphonse’s book.

Please note that the biography of Dode Alphonse presents the most important moments from his life. This biography may omit some minor life events.

Alphonse Daudet - Numa Rumestan (trans. Zagulyaev)

- French writer. Born into the family of silk fabric manufacturer Vincent Daudet, descended from Cevennes peasants. Early childhood The writer took place at his father's factory, not far from Nîmes. During the revolution of 1848, the family went bankrupt and, in the hope of improving their upset condition, moved to Lyon.

In August 1856, Daudet completed a course in rhetoric at the Lyon Lyceum. Unable to continue his education, he finds work at a college in the small provincial town of Ale, where he holds the modest position of a class monitor.

Already at the Lyceum, Daudet began to write poetry. Dreams about literary fame They do not leave him in Al, where he creates his first poetry collection, “Love Dreams.” Poverty and the humiliating position of a class overseer weighed heavily on the aspiring poet, who in the fall of 1857 left college and went to Paris, where his older brother Ernest settled.

In Paris, having no funds, Daudet is forced to lead a miserable, semi-bohemian existence. The publication of the collection “Beloved” (1868) opened the way for Daudet to enter literature. Critics favorably greet the poems of the eighteen-year-old poet, written in the spirit of Musset.

In November 1859, Daudet became an employee of the Le Figaro newspaper; a year later, the Duke of Morny, chairman of the Legislative Corps, offered Daudet a position as secretary in his office. The position of secretary brings Doda financial security and gives him the opportunity to get behind the scenes political life, leaves enough free time for literary pursuits. At the same time, Daudet became interested in the idea of ​​reviving the Provençal folk culture. This is facilitated by his acquaintance with the largest Provençal poet Frederic Mistral and members of the association of Provençal poets who tried to return southern French poetry based on the Provençal dialect past glory. While not completely sharing all the views of the Mistral supporters, Daudet accepted the idealization of patriarchal rural Provence. This theme became the main one in his early work.

Staying for several months a year in the south (as prescribed by doctors) allows Daudet to closely observe the life and customs of Provence. This is how the stories included in the collection are born "Letters from My Mill"(1869), which the author first publishes in newspapers and magazines. The publication of the collection brings Doda lasting literary fame. Here the range of themes and Daudet's favorite characters are defined. These are the inhabitants of Provence - peasants, artisans, shepherds, lighthouse keepers. The author’s attitude towards them is sympathetic and ironic, in the tradition folklore, fabliau.

The collection also includes the theme of social inequality: “The Secret of Grandfather Corneille”, “The Sanzhinergic Lighthouse”, etc. Daudet tells with bitterness about the onset of market relations in the patriarchal village. But these themes sound muted, not reaching the intensity that is characteristic of Zola’s works. Naturalism of descriptions is moderated romantic relationship to reality. Daudet is especially good at sketching nature. Daudet proves himself to be a master of soft, poetic landscapes.

In 1867, a change occurred in the writer’s personal life. He marries Julie Allard, who became his constant assistant in literary pursuits. Daudet's firstborn, Leon, would also later become a writer and connect his life with Jeanne Hugo, the granddaughter of the famous poet.

In 1868, Daudet's first novel appeared "Baby". The genre of the novel is lyrical diary a child growing up and discovering the surrounding reality with its contradictions, injustice, contrast of wealth and poverty. The novel has autobiographical basis, although Daudet himself warned against directly identifying him with the hero - Daniel Eiset. Many episodes, especially in the second part, are fictional ( literary failures hero, death of brother Jacques, etc.).

Despite bias and excessive sentimentality last chapters, reducing the merits of the novel, the book captivates with its sincerity and artlessness of tone, a combination of gentle humor, lyricism and irony - those features that, starting from early works(“Letters from my mill”, “Baby”), determine the originality of Daudet’s style.

In the novel "The Extraordinary Adventures of Tartarin of Tarascon"(1872) the writer again returns to the theme of Provence. The novel, the first chapters of which appeared in the newspapers Petit Moniteur and Le Figaro in 1869-1870, had the title “The Provençal Don Quixote, or the Adventures of the famous Barbarin of Tarascon,” quite accurately indicating the guidelines that Daudet followed. The image of the main character Barbarin, who became Tartarin in the final text, is associated with Provençal jokes about cowards and braggarts posing as brave men and successful hunters. These stories, which are widespread in different countries, indicate a long folk tradition. Another prototype of the good-natured and narcissistic Provençal man in the street is literary. From Don Quixote he inherits unbridled imagination, gullibility, and adventurism. The character's comedy largely stems from the combination of the traits of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in the image of Tartarin.

However, the humor of Daudet's novel is not imitative. It has Provençal, folk roots. These are the stories about the life of the glorious Tarasconians, a trip to Algeria, a lion hunt, and a fascination with an “oriental” beauty. Behind the element of fun and humor that permeates the book, you can see some features of the era. A parody of oriental passions, exoticism and false romanticism of colonial literature is also palpable in it. Many episodes and figures of speech from the novel have widely entered European cultural life. The name Tartarin became a household name. Exploiting the success, Daudet created two more parts of the trilogy in the 80s: “Tartarin in the Alps. New adventures of the Tarascon hero" (1885) and "Port of Tarascon. The last adventures of the famous Tartarin" (1890).

In “Tartarin in the Alps,” Daudet pits the spontaneous, cheerful Tartarin against the sophisticated society of cosmopolitan tourists, idle, cold, empty. The action of the novel “Port of Tarascon” resurrects the atmosphere of colonial adventures last third XIX century: Tarasconians occupy one of the islands lost in the Pacific Ocean, which turns out to be an English colony. The invaders are forced to leave within 24 hours. In this book, as in the first two, there are many unusual adventures and funny stories. However, good-natured humor gives way to sarcasm here. The author debunks Tartarin the colonialist.

Daudet moved from “Provençal idylls” to social themes under the influence of political events of the early 70s. Important role The Franco-Prussian War played a role in its evolution. Having initially joined the National Guard, Daudet quickly became disillusioned with both the monarchists and the republicans of the period III Republic. He did not accept the Paris Commune either. These sentiments were reflected in collections of essays and stories: “Letters to an Absentee” (1871), “Stories on Mondays” (1873), “Robert Elmon. Diary of a Hermit" (1874), as well as in a series of social and everyday novels, many of which are subtitled "Parisian Morals": "Fromont the Younger and Risler the Elder" (1874), "Jack" (1876), "Nabob" (1878) , “Kings in Exile” (1881), “Evangelist” (1883), “Sappho” (1888), “Support of the Family” (1897). He also wrote stories to Daudet: “Rose and Ninetta” (1892), “Little Parish” (1895).

Daudet's extensive legacy also includes dramatic works. The first plays, written while still serving in the office, inspired Doda with hopes of success among the audience. However, the failure of Le d'Arlesienne (1872) separated Daudet from the theater for more than a decade. The return in 1889 was marked by the production of the drama “The Struggle for Life” (1889), which treated the theme young man the end of the 19th century. It was followed by “The Barrier” (1890), “The Liar” (1892). Daudet outlined his thoughts about the stage in a book of notes “Between the Scenes and the Footlights” (1894). The overall outcome of life is captured in literary memoirs“Thirty Years of Parisian Life” (1888), “The History of My Books” (1888), “Memoirs of a Writer” (1888).

Long creative path Daudet makes it possible to trace the stages of the writer’s development in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The joyful attitude of “Provençal books” gives way in the 70s social issues. Novels of this period depict the history of the degradation of the bourgeois family (Fromont the Younger and Risler the Elder, etc.). In the novel "Jack" Daudet sharply criticizes the education system modern France, speaks sympathetically about the unbearable working conditions of workers, leading the hero to death. The novel "The Nabob" depicts the morals of the Second Empire. "Kings in Exile" and "Numa Rumestan" raise questions about the fate of the monarchy and the political mores of the era. In creating these works, Daudet used observations he made while serving in the office of the Duke de Morny.

Approximation with Flaubert, Zola, Ed. Goncourt, Turgenev, constant participation in the “Lunches of the Five” in a more direct, personal way introduces Daudet into the orbit of literary disputes of the era. Although experiencing a noticeable influence of the naturalistic doctrine, Daudet did not become its complete follower. Criticizing social reality, he usually transfers conflicts to the ethical plane. He has a spirit of moralizing leading to simplification psychological characteristics, dividing heroes into positive and negative. Nor does it reach those depths." physiological psychology", which are characteristic of Flaubert. Doda is better at bright, memorable portrait characteristics And fascinating stories. Compositionally, his novels are usually built as a series dramatic episodes, dynamically replacing each other. All this made Daudet popular with a wide readership.