Léon Gozlan


Léon Gozlan was a 19th-century French novelist and playwright.

Life

When he was still a boy, his father, who had made a large fortune as a ship-broker, met with a series of misfortunes, and Léon, before completing his education, had to go to sea in order to earn a living. In 1828 we find him in Paris, determined to run the risks of literary life. His townsman, Joseph Méry, who was then making himself famous by his political satires, introduced him to several newspapers, and Gozlan's brilliant articles in Le Figaro did much harm to the already tottering government of Charles X.
He was made a member of the Legion of Honour in 1846, and in 1859 an officer of that order. He died on 14 September 1866 in Paris, and was buried at Montmartre Cemetery

Works

His first published works were:
His first novel was:
This novel was followed by many others, including:
His best-known works for the theatre are:
He adapted several of his own novels to the stage. Gozlan also wrote a romantic and picturesque description of the old manors and mansions of his country entitled Les Châteaux de France, originally published as Les Tourelles'', which has some archaeological value, and a biographical essay on Balzac.