Antoine de Rivarol

Biography

Antoine Rivarol was of origin modest. His/her father held inn in Bagnols-sur-Cèze with the sign of the Three Pigeons before becoming made firm . He made his studies with the seminar Holy-Guard with Avignon, carried the small collet thanks to the benevolence of the bishop of Uzès and was some time tutor with Lyon. But it was not long in giving up at the ecclesiastical state for which its family intended it to choose the career of the letters.

In 1776, it went to Paris and anoblit while being made call the knight of Parcieux - his maternal grandmother was indeed related to the mathematician Antoine de Parcieux, whose particle besides was also usurped - then the count de Rivarol. He attended the living rooms where its spirit made wonder, was presented to Voltaire and collaborated in the Mercure de France . “ a pleasant figure, known as Holy-Beuve, an elegant turning, a wearing of head ensured, supported of a rare facility of elocution, a fine originality and a prickly urbanity, were worth the favor of the Rivarol living rooms to him seemed to carry out only one frivolous life, and it was at the bottom serious and applied. It was delivered to the company the day and worked during the night. Its facility of word and improvisation did not prevent it from digging its thought solitairement. He studied the languages, he reflected on the principles and the instruments of our knowledge, he aimed to the glory of the style. When it indicated its place among the writers of the day, it carried its glance to the first ranks. It had ambition under an air of idleness. ”

Its first work, Letter of the president of *** to Mr. count of *** (1782), was directed against the poem of the Jardins of the abbot Delille, which then had just appeared. It clashed in the chorus of praises which had accommodated this poem, and the author was made, on this occasion, some enemies.

Its Discours on the universality of the French language was crowned, on June 3rd 1784, by the royal Académie of sciences and the humanities of Berlin and was worth a large celebrity to him. Frederic II of Prussia made of the author an associated member of the Academy. Rivarol insisted on the principal quality of the French, clearness, and lent qualities to him which then seemed to belong to the French spirit: “ Released from all the protocols which lowness invents for vanity and the capacity, it is made for the conversation, bond of the men and charms of it of all the ages, and since it should be said, it is of all the languages the only one which has a probity attached to its genius. Sure, social, reasonable, it is not any more the French language, it is the human language. ”

The following year, Rivarol made appear its translation of earlier the Hell of Dante, started five years. The taste of the time was not ready to accept an exact translation of this chief of work of the Middle Ages. Also is it more about an adaptation.

In 1788, it published, in collaboration with the knight Louis de Champcenetz, the Petit Almanac of our great men , satires in the form of praises of the writers to the mode. This book caused many enmities with the two authors. Marie-Joseph Chénier, which was abused there, retorted by a virulent satire, for which Rivarol will be avenged under the French revolution by calling it “ the brother for Abel Chénier ” (it was then insinuated readily that Marie-Joseph, character for the Revolution, had contributed to send his brother André to the guillotine). He also polemized with Pierre-Augustin Charon de Beaumarchais then with Félicité on Genlis.

He made appear, in 1788, two Lettres with Mr. Necker , in which he answered the works of this one on the Importance of the religious opinions and on Morals . He professed a raised epicureanism there, supporting the possibility of a morals independent of any religion.

Under the Revolution, Rivarol engaged as of 1789 in defense of monarchy. It was one of the principal writers of the political Journal and national of the abbot Antoine Sabatier de Castres. The collection of its articles was published later in collection under the title of Mémoires . He also collaborated in the Acts of the Apostles and attacked with a caustic irony the principles and the men of the French revolution, justifying to a certain extent the enthusiasm of Edmund Burke which called it “ the Tacite of the Revolution ”.

In 1791, it advised with Louis XVI “to lose” the duke of Orleans. June 10th 1792, it emigrated, passing to Brussels, Amsterdam, $the Hague, London, Hamburg, Berlin. From Brussels, it made appear a Lettre to the duke of Brunswick and a Lettre with the nobility French and the Political life and private of the general Fayette to which it gave the nickname of “ general Morphée ”, pointing out its sleep of the October 6th, 1789. In Hamburg, it published in 1797 the preliminary Discours of a project of dictionary of the French language. In Berlin, it represented the future king Louis XVIII.

It still published the Dialog between M of Silt and a man of taste and the Portrait of the duke of Orleans and Mrs. de Genlis in 1793. In 1797, it refuted the work influence of passions of Germaine of Staël.

He hoped to return to France under the Directoire, was close reaching that point after the 18 brumaire, but he fell sick and died in Berlin on April 11th 1801.

Works

Lettre criticizes on the poem of the Gardens, followed Cabbage and turnip , 1782
Lettre with Mr. President of *** on the sphere airostatic, the heads speaking and the state present about the public opinion in Paris. To serve as following the Letter on the poem of the Gardens , 1783
Of the Universality of the French language , 1784
the Hell, poem of Dante, new translation , 1785
Account of the gatekeeper of the sior Pierre-Augustin Charon de Beaumarchais , 1787
the Small Almanac of our great men , 1788
First letter with Mr. Necker, on the importance of the religious opinions , 1788
Second letter with Mr. Necker on morals , 1788
the Dream of Athalie, by Mr. G.R.I. Mr. Of the R.E.Y.N., lawyer at the Parliament , with Louis de Champcenetz, 1788
Memory on nature and the value of the money , 1789
the Small Almanac of our large wives, accompanied by some predictions for the year 1789 , with Louis de Champcenetz, 1789
Newspaper policy-national of the State-Generals and the Revolution of 1789, published by Mr. the Sabatier abbot and drawn from handwritten Annals of Mr. Cte of R *** , 1789
Address with Misters the impartial ones or friends of peace joined together at monseigneur the duke of Rochefoucault , v. 1789
Small dictionary of the great men of the revolution, by an active citizen, above nothing , with Louis de Champcenetz, 1790
Triumph of anarchy , 1790
Epistle of Voltaire with Miss Raucour, actress of the Th3e4atre Fran1cais , 1790
the Small Almanac of our large-men; for the year 1790 , 1790
Réponse to the answer of Mr. de Champcenetz about the work of Madam B. of S *** on Rousseau , v. 1790
Essai on the need for the evil, as well physical as moral, political and religious, by Soame Jenyns,… translated from English , 1791
Of the Political life, the escape and the capture of Mr. Fayette. Piece drawn from the " History of the révolution" , 1792
Letter with the French nobility, the time of its re-entry in France under the orders of Mr. the duke of Brunswick, généralissime of the armies of the Emperor and the King de Prusse , 1792
the Small Almanac of the large spectacles of Paris , 1792
Address of the Belgian people, with S. Mr. Emperor , 1793
secret History of Coblentz in the French revolution , 1795
historical and political Table of work of the constituent Assembly, since the opening of the General states until after the day of October 6th, 1789 , 1797
preliminary Speech of the ″ New dictionary of the French language ″ , 1797

Anecdotes

the weekly magazine of Extreme-right-hand side Rivarol was thus named in homage to work anti-revolutionist and nonconformist of Antoine de Rivarol.
Ernst Jünger translated maxims of German Rivarol in which were the subject of a publication in 1956.

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