Stéphane Audeguy's Novel Imagines the Life of Rousseau's Forgotten Brother
Stéphane Audeguy's novel "Fils unique" (Gallimard, 2005) reconstructs the life of François Rousseau, the older brother of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was abandoned by their father and disappeared. The book opens in 1778 with the transfer of Jean-Jacques's remains to the Panthéon, witnessed by the 90-year-old François. Audeguy imagines François's story as a monologue covering his flight from Geneva at 17, his education with the libertine Count Maximin de Saint-Fonds, his life in Paris, imprisonment in the Bastille in 1762 for forgery, and a meeting with the Marquis de Sade, who was writing "The 120 Days of Sodom." François later retrieves the manuscript and sells it to a bookseller. The novel also depicts the Festival of the Supreme Being in June 1794 with Marat, Robespierre, and Saint-Just.
Key facts
- Stéphane Audeguy wrote the novel 'Fils unique' published by Gallimard in 2005.
- The novel focuses on François Rousseau, the older brother of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
- François was born in 1705, seven years older than Jean-Jacques.
- He fled home at 17 and was later imprisoned by his father Isaac.
- The novel begins with the transfer of Jean-Jacques's remains to the Panthéon in 1778.
- François was educated by Count Maximin de Saint-Fonds, a French exile in Geneva.
- He was imprisoned in the Bastille in 1762 for forgery and met the Marquis de Sade there.
- Sade was writing 'The 120 Days of Sodom' on strips hidden in stones.
- François later retrieved the manuscript and sold it to a specialist bookseller.
- The novel includes the Festival of the Supreme Being in June 1794.
Entities
Artists
- Stéphane Audeguy
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- François Rousseau
- Isaac Rousseau
- Count Maximin de Saint-Fonds
- Marquis de Sade
- Camille Paris
- Beaumarchais
- Charles-Joseph, prince de Ligne
- Louis XV
- Marat
- Robespierre
- Saint-Just
- Girardin
Institutions
- Gallimard
- Bastille
- Panthéon
- Église Sainte-Geneviève
- Charenton asylum
Locations
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Paris
- France
- Ermenonville
- Germany
- Aix-en-Provence
Sources
- artpress —