Edmond François Valentin About is remembered for writing that changed what came after it.
The record lists Edmond François Valentin About as French writer and critic (1828-1885).
Edmond François Valentin About was born at Dieuze in 1828. His recorded nationality is France. He was educated at Lycée Charlemagne and École Normale Supérieure.
The nineteenth century was the age of the serialised novel and mass literacy; writers reached audiences of a size never seen before.
He worked as writer, journalist and playwright.
The writing is recorded in French and English.
His work is classed as theatre.
Reputation in letters is unusually volatile: writers are forgotten for a generation and then recovered by one.
The honours record reads: Officer of the Legion of Honour (1867).
That the work was written from France matters: language, censorship and the reach of a publishing industry decide which books travel and which stay local.
Edmond François Valentin About died in 1885, aged 57. The books remain, which is the only durable form a writing life takes.
Achievements
- Officer of the Legion of Honour — 1867
- Genres: theatre
