GUISMANC Biography

Some with the full basis consider him a follower of the naturalistic school of Emil Zola, others, just as reasonably, call him the “first decadent”, others recall him as one of the best Catholic religious writers. Indeed, in the work of Guismans adhered to different directions. We can say that his attitude has changed throughout his life. But, probably, those who believe that he always remained himself was more right, without following either a changeable fashion, no once chosen path.

Zhoris-Carl Gyusmans was born on February 5 in Paris. At baptism, he received the name Charles-Maria-Jorge, who later re-re-re-reinforced in the Dutch manner to emphasize his origin. His father came from the old family of Dutch artists and himself was also a painter. From him, his son inherited interest in the visual arts and a subtle understanding of paintings. The mother of the future writer, a Frenchwoman by nationality, was a school teacher.

The boy grew up a homebody, only occasionally he was released to play the Luxembourg Garden. He had no friends, bright events too. Childhood was monotonous, in the books of the writer, where there will be many autobiographical episodes, we will not meet children's memories. Father died early in the year. Mother almost immediately married the owner of the binding workshop. The stepfather created the family a completely wealthy and comfortable life, but failed to win the love of a stepson: Zhoris not only did not like his stepfather, but also cooled to his mother, believing that she changed her father's memory.

The character of Zoris has become even more closed than before. When he was sent to school by the Lyceum of St. Louis, the boy did not get along with either teachers or with comrades in the class. Unable to listen to his endless complaints about school conflicts, parents considered it good to take Zhoris from the lyceum and teach at home. After home training, exams for the bachelor's degree were passed by an exterior, then the young man entered the law faculty of Paris University.

The university did not have to study at the university: the stepfather died, the financial situation of the family worsened, besides, the opportunity to get a job at the Ministry of the Interior was an official of the 6th grade. In this ministry, Guissance will last more than a quarter of a century, before retirement. He understood early that the writer's work could not be out of the need, and earned his daily bread as a simple official, engaged in literary writings only during leisure hours.

The service in the Ministry of the Interior was only once interrupted by an draft in the army: during the Franco-Prussian War in the city of Guismans, he was mobilized. However, he did not have time to take part in hostilities, as he became ill with a dysentery in severe form. By the time he left the hospital, a catastrophic war for France ended. Later, Guismans expressed his military impressions in an artistic form in the short story “A satchel on his shoulders!

The literary debut of Zhoris-Carla took place in the year. He tried to publish a collection of short stories can be said - poems in prose “Vase with spices”. The mother, having through her binding workshop of communications and acquaintance with the publishers, tried to assist her son and gave the manuscript to the court to the publisher Etzel. The sentence of the latter was murderous: Zhoris has no talent, and he should be abandoned all the literary ventures once and for all.

However, Zoris is not used to agreeing with someone’s opinion if it did not coincide with his own. He published a “vase with spices” at his own expense and turned out to be right: a small book of a completely unknown author was seen, sympathetic reviews appeared in the press. One of the commendable reviews was written by a well -known literary critic and bibliophile Octave Lacroix, who soon became a close friend of Guissmans.

He especially loved Baudler and felt the influence of the work of this poet on almost every page “VAZ with spices”. The next year the book was reprinted, but, of course, not at the expense of the author. The first Roman of Guissmans - “Martha. The story of a prostitute ”The book is based on an autobiographical story of a writer's love relationship with the artist of the theater Variet.

This exalted person became pregnant from someone, explained to Guismans that the child would not be him, but he, just like the poor sick young man described in the novel, not only did not drive her away, but, on the contrary, was imbued with sympathy from living together with a lady in the same apartment in the same apartment made a gesmans with a convinced bachelor. The romance of episodic meetings, the very anticipation of which raised the mood and excited, was replaced by a prose of life.

The apartment was filled with the smells of the kitchen and laundry. It turned out that it was impossible to engage in writing work, when a woman is constantly in the apartment. Subsequently, Guismans gave a decisive preference to the brothel: “Bordel is what is really true: at least, from there you come out freely” from the letter to Arizh Prensu, on September 8, the mistress disappeared unexpectedly.

Her disappearance strengthened the author of the belief that it was impossible to help fallen women to return to normal life.The publication of the book about the life of a prostitute was fraught with significant difficulties. To get around the rather picky French censorship, the book was printed in Belgium. Jean Gai, who was considered an erotic specialist, took up the publication.

When the circulation was printed, Guissance tried to carry copies from Belgium to France in his luggage. At customs, the smuggling attempt was discovered, and the books were confiscated. This event attracted special attention to the scandalous book: the bibliophiles of Paris paid frantic money to get a copy of the Martha, secretly transported across the border. The first books of Guissmans, written in the traditions of a naturalistic school, with great attention to social problems and domestic details, liked the master of naturalism Emil Zola.

Guissance gets closer to the great writer, spends in his house in the evening with Maupassant, the field Alexis and Leon Ennik. The monumental cycle of the Roman-Makkara Romanov makes on Guissmans such a strong impression that he makes a whole literary study, and then publishes a cycle of four articles “Zola and“ West ”. He devotes the next novel of the Vatar sister. This novel tells the love story of the two sisters working in the binding workshop obviously, the memories of the binding workshop of the stepfather were reflected in the choice of the scene of the novel.

In the collection "Median evenings", compiled by Zola, Guismans gives the military novel "A satchel on his shoulders! The next books “In the Waterness” and “Dr” the turning point in the work of Guissmans became the story “On the contrary” in the traditions of naturalism, marked by the departure from naturalism. Like many other works, the story brings autobiographical features.

The hero of her despe essent - the last descendant of the family of excessively sensitive neurotics - leads the life of the hermit. He runs from banality, from grayness and mediocrity, closes in a house isolated from the whole world, where he arranges for himself “life the other way around”: sleeps during the day, reflects and works at night. Dras Essent was extremely eccentric.

The composition of the home library is indicative that the selection of literature reflected the preferences of the Gyuismans himself. There are no classics at all. In hours, free from thought and reading, desing Essent enjoys symphonies from the smells of flowers and wonderful drinks. The story ends with the return of the hero to Paris due to a nervous disorder. DES Essent, both in his literary tastes and in an extravagant lifestyle, is a refined Esthet-Deck.

The story itself played the role of a kind of manifesto, and the Guissmans literary scholars began to quite reasonably consider the “first decadent”. Moving away from naturalism, Guismans is increasingly becoming interested in mysticism, spiritualism, faith in the devil. It is known that his friend Gustav Bushe tried to make Spirit out of him.

A great interest in occultism was shown by his new mistress Henrietta Mail. She brought him to Berta Courier, who was very famous among fans of esoteric teachings. Henrietta and Bert are guessed in the collective image of Mrs. Chantelw in one of the gloomy and terrible Huissance novels “Abyss”. This novel was first printed with a continuation in Echo de Paris and was very well accepted by the broad masses of readers.

There is everything here: the souls of the soul details about the bloodthirsty vein of de Rae, the secrets of alchemists, satanic masses, philosophical disputes. One of the main characters of the novel by the writer Durent is an easily recognizable double of the author. As literary research showed, almost all the characters of the novel had real prototypes.

The writer in the image of the Black Mass and other secret rites that were missed in the Russian edition of Prince turned out to be naturalistically accurate. Nekrasov, M. barely managed to dry the ink on the last page of the manuscript of the "abyss", as the work of Guissmans undergoes a new decisive fracture. Apparently, the written book completely satisfied the passion for the knowledge of the gloomy other world, and the writer turns to exalted religious motives.

The poetics of religious rites, spiritual music, church singing, the beauty of Gothic stained -glass windows in the rays of the setting sun - all this did not leave the gyuzans indifferent. After resigning, he settles in the Benedictine monastery for two years in Abbey Ligustly in Poito. The impressions of these years were reflected in the novel "Monastery". Upon returning to.

Paris Guissance made the speech "The preface to the religious poetry of the Verlaine field." In response to the “Lourder” of Zola, he writes the book “Crowds of Lourd” as he should have written about the miraculous shrine of a truly religious writer. Already deadly ill, Guissmans finishes his last work “Three Churches”. The writer was dying painfully difficult.

The cancerous tumor that appeared in the oral cavity caused unbearable suffering. The operation was not successful. The meal turned into torture, since due to illness all the teeth fell out. The patient kept courageously, did not complain about suffering, and even abandoned painkillers.Before his death, he put the manuscripts in order. The last joy was the news of the awarding for literary merits by the Officer Cross of the Order of the Honorary Legion before that he was already awarded a lower cross, but not for literary merits, but as an official for summer service.