Gustave Mathieu

Gustave Mathieu is a poet and French chansonnier born with Nevers (Nievre) on September 9th 1808 and died in Wood-the-King (Seine-et-Marne) on October 14th 1877.

After studies with the college of Nevers, it engages in the navy of war where he becomes officer, then turns to the merchant navy and will run the adventure until in the Pacific. Of return in Nevers-native, it launches out without success in the forestry development, then in the trade of tables. It ends up settling in Paris where it attends the literary coffees.

At the beginning of the Second Empire, it opens a cabaret with the sign of " Jean Raisin". His/her friends - Pierre Dupont, Alfred Delvau, Champfleury, Charles Monselet… - meet there to listen to, in the back-store, its satirical poems and its songs: the Legend of the Large Pond, Jean Grape, the Triumph of the wine, Chanteclair, the Hunting of the People, Mr Capital, the Return of the swallows … It founds in 1854 the Almanac of Jean Raisin, review merry and viticultural ; then it publishes, of 1866 with its death, the simple almanac of Mathieu of Nievre . In 1871 it is withdrawn with Wood-the-King where it will live his last years.

Its works were joined together in a collection entitled Parfums, songs and colors (1st edition in 1873). With Paul Arena and Alphonse Daudet, he collaborated in the contemporary Parnassiculet , collection parodying poetry parnassienne (three editions in 1866,1872 and 1876). Its tomb with the cemetery of Wood-the-King was surmounted by a bronze cock, under which one could read this inscription: " When this cock sings, Mathieu will ressuscitera . "

Bonds

Biographical card and portrait

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