Gustave Red

Gustave Henri Joseph Lerouge known as Gustave the Red is a writer and French journalist born with Valognes (Manche) the July 22nd 1867 and died in Paris the February 24th 1938.

Portrait

Gustave the Red was a polygraph, author of many works on all kinds of subjects - a cloak and dagger novel, poems, an anthology with accompanying notes of Brillat-Savarin, Memories, plays, police film scenarios, film stories with episode, anthologies, tests, works of criticism… - and especially of popular novels of adventure whose majority incorporate an amount of Fantastique, of Science-fiction or Merveilleux.

Follower of Jules Verne and Paul d' Ivoi in his first tests in this kind ( Conspiracy of the Billionaires , 1899-1900; the Princess of the Airs , 1902; the submarine " Jules Verne" , 1902), he dissociates himself some clearly in more succeeded works of the cycle Martian ( the prisoner of the planet Mars , 1908; the war of the vampires , 1909) and in Mysterious Doctor Cornélius (1911-1912, 5 vol.), regarded as its masterpiece, a novel whose hero malefic is Doctor Cornélius Kramm, “the sculptor of human flesh” inventive of the carnoplastie, a technique which makes it possible a person to take the appearance of another. The Red challenges there any preoccupation with a scientific probability to the profit of a very personal style, characterized by a permanent circulation between the plan of the rationalism and that of the occultism, and by the frequent overlap between the adventure and the sentimental intrigue (with the difference of Jules Verne). Its science-fiction novels evoke Maurice Leblanc, Gaston Leroux and especially Maurice Renard.

Its personal sets of themes make bottom of a visceral anti-Americanism, nourished of a powerful anti-capitalism ( Conspiracy of the Billionaires , Todd Marvel, detective billionaire ), fruit of a political sensibility which oscillates between anarchism and socialism.

The power of the fertile imagination of Gustave the Red, its picturesque and attaching creations, its sometimes delirious style, all that made of him an author recognized by the Surréalistes. A long time deeply ignored, he enjoys today a relative notoriety thanks to the portrait that gave some to Blaise Cendrars in the Man struck down and with the republications made at the instigation of Francis Lacassin since end of the year 70.

Biography

Gustave the Red was the son of a small entrepreneur of house painting specialized in work of gilding, also fore-mentioned Gustave, and of his wife born Sophie Rouxel. His/her younger brother, Paul, will be magistrate. The family is of good middle-class, with a grandfather a long time mayor of Réville.

It makes to its primary studies at the elementary school boys then with the college of Valognes, directed by of Eudistes, before entering to the college of Cherbourg (1881). It obtains its baccalaureat of philosophy in June 1886. After having considered one moment the Naval college, it makes its right to Faculty of Caen, obtaining its license in September 1889. In parallel, he is sub-editor to the local weekly magazine the Norman Morning (5000 specimens) and publishes in small literary reviews like the Bees Normans .

Gone up to Paris to continue its studies, it leads an existence artist and Bohemian, publishing articles and poems in small reviews ( the septentrional Review which accommodates in 1890 its first signed articles of its name, social Art , the red Review , Procope , the Review of a passer by ), making play saynètes in Procope or the red Cat, and exerting any kind of trades: employed of a railroad company, secretary to the Priami circus, marionnettist, chansonnier, actor, director of the Theater of study (which never began its activities), sub-editor of the review the Test (in 1895) then, with his/her friend Adolphe Gensse, of the Review of a passer by (of 1896 to 1903). It is one period of perpetual money worries, temporarily balanced by expédients.

In March 1890, it meets Paul Verlaine, of which he will become a close friend, going until sharing the last meal of the poet the day of died of this one.

“ Lerouge! And you? Any heart and any sharp flame,
“ That you will make in our exile as it is,
“ You, a so noble soul in a so ugly world? ”
Extract of With Gustave Lerouge Paul Verlaine, Broussais, December 1891.

In 1911, the Red will publish with F. - has. Cazals an headed document the last days of Paul Verlaine , prefaced by Maurice Barrès.

In 1899, it publishes, undoubtedly with account of author, its first book, a collection of poetries entitled the Merchant of clouds , starts a food collaboration with Gustave Guitton for the cycle of the Conspiracy of the billionaires . It will continue in the same vein with the Conquerors of the sea (1902), the princess of the airs (1902), the Submarine " Jules Verne" (1903). The two men will scramble themselves in 1903, undoubtedly following the republication under the only name of Gustave Guitton, of the Conquérants of the sea .

At the same time, Gustave the Red makes two stays in Tunisia, in 1901 and 1902 when it is tested with agriculture in Kroumirie and publishes a newspaper the Voice of France which has only four numbers but a legal judgment with 6000 francs of fine is worth to him.

After a three months stay in Jersey at the summer 1902, he marries, on November 8th, 1902, Juliette Henriette Torri (1874-1909), known as " Riri" , dressmaker and model of the sculptor Emile Bourdelle. The couple lives initially to the 1 (or 21) (a) street Lacaille then settles with 17 rue des Apennins. " Riri" will die prematurely, in 1909.

After a fallen through project of collaboration with Hugues Rebell for a fictionalized history of the flibuste, the Red starts in 1904 to publish under its name alone of the novels of adventure like the Queen of the elephants , the Spy of the Large LAMA , the prisoner of the planet Mars (1908), the war of the vampires (1909) then, as from November 1912, the 18 booklets monthly which compose Mysterious Doctor Cornélius , whose Blaise Cendrars will draw the matter from its collection Kodak in 1924.

After the battle of the Marne, Gustave the Red becomes correspondent war and chronicler to the newspaper Information , before becoming chief of the service of the report in suburbs of the Parisian Petit at the end of the War. It will be returned from there to have invented a fact various. ( here the fact various invented of all piêce: An old lady lodging in its apartment about thirty cats is found died and devoured by its famished tom cats (extracted the foreword of “Mysterious Doctor Cornélius” Collection " Bouquin" )

It is with the Parisian Petit that the Red meets Blaise Cendrars, undoubtedly in 1919. The Red will exert a true fascination on the Swiss poet who draws up a seizing portrait of it, though not very faithful, in the Man struck down (1945), and also evokes it in the feverish Pearl (1922) and Bourlinguer (1948).

September 14th, 1920, he remarie with a twenty year old younger young woman, Francoise Adeline Vialloux (1882-1941), whose face is not disfigured by a whiplash, as claims it Cendrars, but eaten by a lupus. The couple lives a modest apartment on the fifth floor of the building of 46 rue Lacroix. The Red continues to publish novels like Todd Marvel, detective billionaire (1923), and republishes his former publications, often by changing some the title.

It binds with the editor association of the Nouvelles arts persons , created in October 1922, Frederic Lefèvre, and attends the secretary of Anatole France Jean-Jacques Brousson, the critical draftsman and Jean Texcier, the poet Vincent Muselli and the novelist Marcel Hamon, who will be his personal doctor.

In 1928, it publishes a collection of literary entitled Verlainiens and declining memories , source invaluable of information on Jules Tellier, Paul Verlaine, Hugues Rebell, Leon Bloy, Jules Barbey d' Aurevilly or Laurent Tailhade…

Gustave the Red dies in the Lariboisière hospital, of a cancer of the prostate, on February 24th, 1938. He was officer of the academic Palms.

Works of Gustave Red

In the Man struck down , Blaise Cendrars affirms that Gustave Lerouge wrote 312 volumes: he “ is the author of 312 works (in any case, it is the number of those which I held with his hand and which appeared in my plundered library in June 40) of which much in several volumes and one, Mysterious Doctor Cornélius , this masterpiece of the novel of scientifico-police adventures, in 56 deliveries of 150 pages, and others, which are not even signed, Gustave Lerouge often working for editors who are not even of 17th order ”. Francis Lacassin (Foreword with the Captive of the planet Mars , Paris, General union of editions, 1976), for its part, counts 163 volumes, episodes or booklets forming 73 titles.

the Infidel punished (1895?) : theater
Tales with the vapor to laugh in the coach, tales (with Gustave Guitton), (1898?)
the Latin Quarter (with Georges Renault), Flammarion, 1899: test
the Merchant of clouds , 1899: collection of poems, no known specimen
Conspiracy of the Billionaires (with Gustave Guitton) (1899-1900): adventures of the construction of a railroad " subatlantique" , in the vein of a Jules Verne in more whimsical
Conquerors of the sea (with Gustave Guitton) (1902)
the Princess of the Airs (with Gustave Guitton) (1902): the research of the shipwrecked men of a " aéroscaphe"
the Submarine " Jules Verne" (with Gustave Guitton) (1902): a novel very clearly inspired of 20000 miles under the seas of Jules Verne
the Slave in love (1904): novel with the water-of-pink
Been engaged of the deserter (1904)
the Robber of Faces (1904): outline Mysterious Doctor Cornélius of 1912
the Spy of the large LAMA (1905)
the Scummers of the Pampa (1905)
the Queen of the elephants (1906)
the Secrecy of Mrs Gisele (1908?)
the Prisoner of the planet Mars (1908): an astonishing voyage in the planet Mars by using the telepathic energy of thousands of fakirs gathered in a monastery of India
the War of the vampires (1909): continuation of the Prisoner of the planet Mars
last days of Paul Verlaine (with F. -. Cazals has) (1911): literary document
the Secrecy of the lady of the manor (1912): novel
the magic Mandrake (1912): test
Turkey (1912): anthology with accompanying notes
mysterious Doctor Cornélius (1912-1913): adventures of an insane erudite disaster, inventor of the " carnoplastie" , a process which makes it possible to give to an individual the appearance of another
the Revenge on Doctor Mohr (1914)
the Phantom of the dancer (1914)
the Mask of linen (1914)
the haunted Street (1914)
Our Kids and the war (1915)
Our Animals and the war (1915)
Them and us (1915): test
scenario of the film Charley Colms , police film (1915)
the Carpet poisoned (1916)
the Crime of a shopgirl (1916)
the Son of the naufragor (1916)
the Second woman (1916)
Rheims under the shells (1917): testimony
the Spy of the navy (1917): spy novel
the Newspaper of an hostage (1917): testimony
the Notebook one to defer (1918): testimony
Miss Jeanne (1918)
the Heroin of Colorado (with Henry de Brisay) (1918)
Friendly of childhood (1919)
a Drama of the invasion (1920)
the Gazette of the Ardennes (with Louis Chassereau) (1920)
Mystéria (1921)
the Heiress of the island lost (1922)
To know to eat (1922): anthology with accompanying notes of texts of Brillat-Savarin
the black Lady of the borders (1923)
Todd Marvel, detective billionaire (1923)
Masterpieces of the fantastic literature (1924): anthology
Masterpieces of the occultism (1925): anthology
a Stroke (1927)
the Valley of despair (1927-28)
Verlainiens and declining (1928): memories
the Mystery of Blocqueval (1929): sentimental novel
Derelicta (1930): poems

Catalog of films

The French-speaking televiewers could see a adaptation televised of the '' Mystérieux Doctor Cornélius '', with Gerard Desarthe in the “title role”. This series, carried out in 1984 per Maurice Frydland, counted 6 one hour episodes each one.

References

Jean Cabanel (Jean Texcier), “Gustave Red”, Triptych , n° February 15th, th and th 1928, pp. 3-8
Georges Charensol, “Persons of obscure repute, n°7: Gustave the Red”, the New arts persons , August 8th, 1931, page 5
Roger Dévigne, “a Hermit of the serialized story, Gustave the Red”, the Almanac of the well-read man 1926 , Grasset, 1925, pp. 167-169
Marcel Hamon, “Gustave the Red a shoulder surfer of monsters”, Prefaces with Gustave the Red, Mysterious Doctor Cornélius, 1 , General union of editions, 1975
Francis Lacassin, “Gustave the Red or the secret guru of Blaise Cendrars”, in: Stowawaies, vol. 1, Paris, General union of editions, 1979, pp. 283-335
Francis Lacassin, “Introduction” to: Gustave Red, Mysterious Doctor Cornélius '', Robert Laffont, coll Books, 1986, pp. 7-24

Ronan Prigent, Esthetic romantic of Gustave the Red , university Presses of North, 1996.

External bonds

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/tybalt/LesGendelettres/biographies/LerougeG.htm

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