Prince Zilah | Page 4

the author's ideas before making
an entire meal of them. D.W.]

PRINCE ZILAH
By JULES CLARETIE
With a Preface by Compte d'Haussonville of the French Academy

JULES CLARETIE
Arsene Arnaud Claretie (commonly called Jules), was born on
December 3, 1840, at Limoges, the picturesque and smiling capital of
Limousin. He has been rightly called the "Roi de la Chronique" and the
"Themistocle de la Litterature Contemporaine." In fact, he has written,
since early youth, romances, drama, history, novels, tales, chronicles,
dramatic criticism, literary criticism, military correspondence, virtually
everything! He was elected to the French Academy in 1888.
Claretie was educated at the Lycee Bonaparte, and was destined for a
commercial career. He entered a business-house as bookkeeper, but
was at the same time contributing already to newspapers and reviews.
In 1862 we find him writing for the Diogene; under the pseudonym,

"Olivier de Jalin," he sends articles to La France; his nom-deplume in
L'Illustration is "Perdican"; he also contributes to the Figaro,
'L'Independence Belge, Opinion Nationale' (1867-1872); he signs
articles in the 'Rappel; as "Candide"; in short, his fecundity in this field
of literature is very great. He is today a most popular journalist and
writes for the 'Presse, Petit Journal, Temps', and others. He has not
succeeded as a politician. Under the second Empire he was often in
collision with the Government; in 1857 he was sentenced to pay a fine
of 1,000 francs, which was a splendid investment; more than once
lectures to be given by him were prohibited (1865-1868); in 1871 he
was an unsuccessful candidate for L'Assemblee Nationale, both for La
Haute Vienne and La Seine. Since that time he has not taken any active
part in politics. Perhaps we should also mention that as a friend of
Victor Noir he was called as a witness in the process against Peter
Bonaparte; and that as administrator of the Comedie Francaise he
directed, in 1899, an open letter to the "President and Members of the
Court Martial trying Captain Dreyfus" at Rennes, advocating the latter's
acquittal. So much about Claretie as a politician!
The number of volumes and essays written by Jules Claretie surpasses
imagination, and it is, therefore, almost impossible to give a complete
list. As a historian he has selected mostly revolutionary subjects. The
titles of some of his prominent works in this field are 'Les Derniers
Montagnards (1867); Histoire de la Revolution de 1870-71 (second
edition, 1875, 5 vols.); La France Envahie (1871); Le Champ de
Bataille de Sedan (1871); Paris assiege and Les Prussiens chez eux
(1872); Cinq Ans apres, L'Alsace et la Lorraine depuis l'Annexion
(1876); La Guerre Nationale 1870-1871', etc., most of them in the
hostile, anti-German vein, natural to a "Chauvinist"; 'Ruines et
Fantomes (1873). Les Femmes de la Revolution (1898)' contains a
great number of portraits, studies, and criticisms, partly belonging to
political, partly to literary, history. To the same category belong:
Moliere, sa Vie et ses OEuvres (1873); Peintres et Sculpteurs
Contemporains, and T. B. Carpeaux (1875); L'Art et les Artistes
Contemporains (1876)', and others. Quite different from the above, and
in another phase of thought, are: 'Voyages d'un Parisien (1865);
Journees de Voyage en Espagne et France (1870); Journees de

Vacances (1887)'; and others.
It is, however, as a novelist that the fame of Claretie will endure. He
has followed the footsteps of George Sand and of Balzac. He belongs to
the school of "Impressionists," and, although he has a liking for
exceptional situations, wherefrom humanity does not always issue
without serious blotches, he yet is free from pessimism. He has no
nervous disorder, no "brain fag," he is no pagan, not even a nonbeliever,
and has happily preserved his wholesomeness of thought; he is averse
to exotic ideas, extravagant depiction, and inflammatory language. His
novels and tales contain the essential qualities which attract and retain
the reader. Some of his works in chronological order, omitting two or
three novels, written when only twenty or twenty-one years old, are:
'Pierrille, Histoire de Village (1863); Mademoiselle Cachemire (1867);
Un Assassin, also known under the title Robert Burat (1867);
Madeleine Bertin, replete with moderated sentiment, tender passion,
and exquisite scenes of social life (1868); Les Muscadins (1874, 2
vols.); Le Train No. 17 (1877); La Maison Vide (1878); Le Troisieme
dessous (1879); La Maitresse (1880); Monsieur le Ministre (1882);
Moeurs du Jour (1883); Le Prince Zilah (1884), crowned by the
Academy four years before he was elected; Candidat!(1887); Puyjoli
(1890); L'Americaine (1892); La Frontiere (1894); Mariage Manque
(1894); Divette (1896); L'Accusateur (1897), and others.
It is, perhaps, interesting to know that after the flight of the Imperial
family from the Tuileries, Jules Claretie was appointed to put into order
the various papers, documents, and letters left behind in great chaos,
and to publish them, if advisable.
Very numerous and