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{{short description|French writer and poet}}
{{Short description|Belgian writer and poet (1870–1925)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2010}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2010}}
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| image_size =
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| alt =
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| caption = Louÿs, {{circa|1890–1900}}
| pseudonym = Pierre Chrysis, Peter Lewys, Chibrac
| pseudonym = Pierre Chrysis, Peter Lewys, Chibrac
| birth_name = Pierre-Félix Louis
| birth_name = Pierre-Félix Louis
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1870|12|10}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1870|12|10}}
| birth_place = [[Ghent]], Belgium
| birth_place = [[Ghent]], Belgium
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1925|06|06|1870|12|10}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1925|06|04|1870|12|10}}
| death_place = [[Paris]], France
| death_place = Paris, France
| resting_place = [[Montparnasse Cemetery]]
| resting_place = [[Montparnasse Cemetery]]
| occupation = [[novelist]], [[poetry|poet]]
| occupation = [[novelist]], [[poetry|poet]]
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{{French literature sidebar}}


'''Pierre Louÿs''' ({{IPA-fr|pjɛʁ lu.is|lang}}; 10 December 1870 – 6 June 1925) was a French poet and writer, most renowned for [[lesbian]] and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection".<ref>Donald Watt (ed), ''Aldous Huxley: The Critical Heritage'' (London/Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul). Footnote to page 51: "Louÿs, French novelist and poet (1870–1925) who sought to express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection"</ref> He was made first a Chevalier and then an Officer of the [[Legion of Honour|Légion d'honneur]] for his contributions to French literature.
'''Pierre-Félix Louÿs''' ({{IPA|fr|pjɛʁ lu.is|lang}}; 10 December 1870 – 4 June 1925) was a Belgian poet and writer, most renowned for [[lesbian]] and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection".<ref name="Critical Heritage"> Donald Watt (ed), ''Aldous Huxley: The Critical Heritage'' (London/Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul). Footnote to page 51: "Louÿs, French novelist and poet (1870–1925) who sought to express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection"</ref> He was made first a Chevalier and then an Officer of the [[Legion of Honour|Légion d'honneur]] for his contributions to French literature.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jeandillou |first1=Jean-François |title=Supercheries littéraires: la vie et l'oeuvre des auteurs supposés |date=2001 |publisher=Droz |location=Genève |isbn=978-2-600-00520-3 |pages=544 |edition=Nouvelle éd. revue et augmenté}}</ref><ref>[http://www.culture.gouv.fr/LH/LH133/PG/FRDAFAN83_OL1665034v001.htm French government record archives]</ref>


==Life==
==Life==
Pierre Louÿs was born '''Pierre Félix Louis''' on 10 December 1870 in [[Ghent]], Belgium, but relocated to France where he would spend the rest of his life. He studied at the École Alsacienne in Paris, and there he developed a good friendship with a future [[Nobel Prize]] winner and champion of [[homosexual]] rights, [[André Gide]]. From 1890 onwards, he began spelling his name as "Louÿs", and pronouncing the final S, as a way of expressing his fondness for classical Greek culture (the letter Y is known in French as ''i grec'' or "Greek I").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00297.xml |title=Pierre Louÿs: An Inventory of His Papers in the Carlton Lake Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center |publisher=Research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080 |date= |accessdate=2013-09-02}}</ref> During the 1890s, he became a friend of the noted Irish homosexual dramatist [[Oscar Wilde]], and was the dedicatee of Wilde's ''[[Salome (play)|Salomé]]'' in its original (French) edition. Louÿs thereby was able to socialize with homosexuals. Louÿs started writing his first erotic texts at the age of 18, at which time he developed an interest in the [[Parnassian poets|Parnassian]] and [[Symbolism (arts)|Symbolist]] schools of writing.
Pierre Louÿs was born '''Pierre Félix Louis''' on 10 December 1870 in [[Ghent]], Belgium, but relocated to France, where he spent the rest of his life. He studied at the École Alsacienne in Paris, and there he developed a good friendship with a future [[Nobel Prize]] winner and champion of [[homosexual]] rights [[André Gide]]. From 1890 onwards, he began spelling his name as "Louÿs", and pronouncing the final S, as a way of expressing his fondness for classical Greek culture (the letter Y is known in French as ''i grec'' or "Greek I").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00297.xml |title=Pierre Louÿs: An Inventory of His Papers in the Carlton Lake Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center |publisher=Research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080 |access-date=2013-09-02}}</ref> During the 1890s, he became a friend of the Irish homosexual dramatist [[Oscar Wilde]], and was the dedicatee of Wilde's ''[[Salome (play)|Salomé]]'' in its original (French) edition. Louÿs thereby was able to socialize with homosexuals. Louÿs started writing his first erotic texts at the age of 18, at which time he developed an interest in the [[Parnassian poets|Parnassian]] and [[Symbolism (arts)|Symbolist]] schools of writing.<ref name="Critical Heritage"/> Louÿs had a long-term romantic relationship with
fellow writer [[Marie de Régnier]].


===Early writings===
===Early writings===
During 1891, Louÿs helped initiate a literary review, ''La Conque'',<ref>Rosemary Lloyd, ''Mallarmé: the poet and his circle''. Ithaca, NY: [[Cornell University Press]], 2005, {{ISBN|0-8014-8993-8}}, pp. 195–197</ref> where he proceeded to publish ''[[Astarte]]'', an early collection of erotic verse already marked by his distinctive style. During 1894 he published another erotic collection of 143 prose poems, ''[[Songs of Bilitis]] (Les Chansons de Bilitis)'', this time with strong lesbian themes.<ref>David Grayson, "Bilitis and Tanagra: afternoons with nude women" ''in'' Jane F. Fulcher (ed.), ''Debussy and his world''. Princeton: [[Princeton University Press]], 2001, {{ISBN|0-691-09042-4}}, pp. 117–140</ref><ref>
During 1891, Louÿs helped initiate a literary review, ''La Conque'',<ref>Rosemary Lloyd, ''Mallarmé: the poet and his circle''. Ithaca, NY: [[Cornell University Press]], 2005, {{ISBN|0-8014-8993-8}}, pp. 195–197</ref> where he proceeded to publish ''[[Astarte]]'', an early collection of erotic verse already marked by his distinctive style. During 1894 he published another erotic collection of 143 prose poems, ''[[Songs of Bilitis]] (Les Chansons de Bilitis)'', this time with strong lesbian themes.<ref>David Grayson, "Bilitis and Tanagra: afternoons with nude women" ''in'' Jane F. Fulcher (ed.), ''Debussy and his world''. Princeton: [[Princeton University Press]], 2001, {{ISBN|0-691-09042-4}}, pp. 117–140</ref><ref>
⚫
Peter Cogman, "Louÿs, Pierre" in ''The Encyclopedia of Erotic Literature'', Edited by [[Gaétan Brulotte]] and [[John Philips]] (pp. 828–835). London : Routledge, 2006, {{ISBN|978-1-57958-441-2}}</ref> It was divided into three sections, each representative of a phase of Bilitis's life: [[Bucolic]]s in Pamphylia, [[Elegy|Elegies]] at Mytilene, and [[Epigram]]s in the Isle of Cyprus; dedicated to her were also a short ''Life of Bilitis'' and three [[epitaph]]s in ''The Tomb of Bilitis''. What made ''The Songs'' sensational is Louÿs's claim that the poems were the work of an ancient Greek courtesan and contemporary of [[Sappho]], Bilitis; to himself, Louÿs ascribed the modest role of translator. The pretense did not last long, and "translator" Louÿs was soon revealed as Bilitis herself. This did little to discredit ''The Songs of Bilitis'', however, as it was praised for its sensuality and refined style, even more extraordinary for the author's compassionate portrayal of lesbian sexuality.
Peter Cogman, "Louÿs, Pierre" in ''The Encyclopedia of Erotic Literature'', Edited by [[Gaétan Brulotte]] and [[John Philips]]
⚫
(pp. 828–835). London : Routledge, 2006, {{ISBN|978-1-57958-441-2}}</ref> It was divided into three sections, each representative of a phase of Bilitis's life: [[Bucolic]]s in Pamphylia, [[Elegy|Elegies]] at Mytilene, and [[Epigram]]s in the Isle of Cyprus; dedicated to her were also a short ''Life of Bilitis'' and three [[epitaph]]s in ''The Tomb of Bilitis''. What made ''The Songs'' sensational is Louÿs' claim that the poems were the work of an ancient Greek courtesan and contemporary of [[Sappho]], Bilitis; to himself, Louÿs ascribed the modest role of translator. The pretense did not last long, and "translator" Louÿs was soon revealed as Bilitis herself. This did little to discredit ''The Songs of Bilitis'', however, as it was praised for its sensuality and refined style, even more extraordinary for the author's compassionate portrayal of lesbian sexuality.


Some of the poems were intended as songs for voice and piano. Louÿs' friend [[Claude Debussy]] composed a musical adaptation of three of the poems as his ''Chansons de Bilitis'' ([[List of compositions by Claude Debussy by Lesure Numbers|Lesure Number]] 90) for voice and piano (1897–1898):<ref>Linda Cummins, ''Debussy and the Fragment''. Amsterdam: [[Rodopi Publishers|Rodopi]], 2006, {{ISBN|90-420-2065-2}}, p. 109</ref>
Some of the poems were intended as songs for voice and piano. Louÿs's friend [[Claude Debussy]] composed a musical adaptation of three of the poems as his ''Chansons de Bilitis'' ([[List of compositions by Claude Debussy by Lesure Numbers|Lesure Number]] 90) for voice and piano (1897–1898):<ref>Linda Cummins, ''Debussy and the Fragment''. Amsterdam: [[Rodopi Publishers|Rodopi]], 2006, {{ISBN|90-420-2065-2}}, p. 109</ref>
* ''La flûte de Pan: Pour le jour des Hyacinthies''
* ''La flûte de Pan: Pour le jour des Hyacinthies''
* ''La chevelure: Il m'a dit «Cette nuit j'ai rêvé»''
* ''La chevelure: Il m'a dit «Cette nuit j'ai rêvé»''
* ''Le tombeau des Naiades: Le long du bois couvert de givre''.
* ''Le tombeau des Naiades: Le long du bois couvert de givre''.


Debussy also published ''[[Six épigraphes antiques]]'' during 1914 as piano pieces for four hands, commissioned as preludes to a recital of Louÿs' poems:
Debussy also published ''[[Six épigraphes antiques]]'' during 1914 as piano pieces for four hands, commissioned as preludes to a recital of Louÿs's poems:
* ''Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d'ete''
* ''Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d'ete''
* ''Pour un tombeau sans nom''
* ''Pour un tombeau sans nom''
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* ''Pour remercier la pluie au matin''
* ''Pour remercier la pluie au matin''


During 1955, one of the first [[lesbian]] organizations in America named itself [[Daughters of Bilitis]],<ref>Elisabeth Ladenson, ''Proust's Lesbianism''. Ithaca, NY: [[Cornell University Press]], 1999, {{ISBN|0-8014-3595-1}}, p. 3</ref> and to the present Louÿs' ''Songs'' continues to be an important work for lesbians.
During 1955, one of the first [[lesbian]] organizations in America named itself [[Daughters of Bilitis]],<ref>Elisabeth Ladenson, ''Proust's Lesbianism''. Ithaca, NY: [[Cornell University Press]], 1999, {{ISBN|0-8014-3595-1}}, p. 3</ref> and to the present Louÿs's ''Songs'' continues to be an important work for lesbians.


===Later writings===
===Later writings===
During 1896, Louÿs published his first [[novel]], ''Aphrodite — Ancient Manners'' (''Aphrodite — mœurs antiques''), a description of courtesan life in [[Alexandria, Egypt|Alexandria]]. It is considered a mixture of both literary excess and refinement, and was the best selling work (at 350,000 copies) by any living French author of the time.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} Although Debussy claimed exclusive rights to compose an opera based on ''Aphrodite'' (and Louÿs said he had to turn down several similar applications), the project never got under way.<ref name="Nichols1998">{{cite book|last=Nichols|first=Roger |title=The Life of Debussy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UthBghATk1IC&pg=PA85|year=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-57887-5|pages=85–86}}</ref>
During 1896, Louÿs published his first [[novel]], ''Aphrodite – Ancient Manners'' (''Aphrodite – mœurs antiques''), a description of courtesan life in [[Alexandria, Egypt|Alexandria]]. It is considered a mixture of both literary excess and refinement, and was the best selling work (at 350,000 copies) by any living French author of the time.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} Although Debussy claimed exclusive rights to compose an opera based on ''Aphrodite'' (and Louÿs said he had to turn down several similar applications), the project never got under way.<ref name="Nichols1998">{{cite book|last=Nichols|first=Roger |title=The Life of Debussy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UthBghATk1IC&pg=PA85|year=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-57887-5|pages=85–86}}</ref>


Louÿs later published ''Les Aventures du roi Pausole'' (The Adventures of King Pausole) during 1901, ''Pervigilium Mortis'' during 1916, both of them libertine compositions, and ''[[Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l'usage des maisons d'éducation]]'', written during 1917 and published posthumously and anonymously during 1927.<ref>Patrick J. Kearney, ''A History of Erotic Literature''. London: Parragon, 1982, {{ISBN|1-85813-198-7}}, p. 171</ref><ref>Pia, Pascal. ''Les Livres de l'Enfer: bibliographie critique des ouvrages érotiques dans leurs différentes éditions du XVIe siècle à nos jours'', C. Coulet et A. Faure, 1978, {{ISBN|2-902687-01-X}}, pp. 425, 426, 778</ref>
Louÿs later published ''[[Les Aventures du roi Pausole (novel)|Les Aventures du roi Pausole]]'' (The Adventures of King Pausole) in 1901, ''Pervigilium Mortis'' in 1916, both of them libertine compositions, and ''[[Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l'usage des maisons d'éducation]]'', written during 1917 and published posthumously and anonymously in 1927.<ref name="Kearney">Patrick J. Kearney, ''A History of Erotic Literature''. London: Parragon, 1982, {{ISBN|1-85813-198-7}}, p. 171</ref><ref>Pia, Pascal. ''Les Livres de l'Enfer: bibliographie critique des ouvrages érotiques dans leurs différentes éditions du XVIe siècle à nos jours'', C. Coulet et A. Faure, 1978, {{ISBN|2-902687-01-X}}, pp. 425–426, 778</ref>


Inspired by [[Abel Lefranc]]'s arguments for the [[Derbyite theory of Shakespeare authorship]], Louÿs proposed during 1919 that [[Molière authorship question|the works of Molière were actually written by Corneille]].
Inspired by [[Abel Lefranc]]'s arguments for the [[Derbyite theory of Shakespeare authorship]], Louÿs proposed in 1919 that [[Molière authorship question|the works of Molière were actually written by Corneille]].


Even while on his deathbed, Pierre Louÿs continued to write erotic verses.
Even while on his deathbed, Pierre Louÿs continued to write erotic verses.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

==Reception==
Louÿs was named [[Legion of Honour|Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur]] on 31 December 1909 for his contribution to French literature as a [[man of letters]]. He was promoted to Officier de la Légion d'honneur on 14 January 1922.<ref>[http://www.culture.gouv.fr/LH/LH133/PG/FRDAFAN83_OL1665034v001.htm French government record archives]</ref>


==Illustrators==
==Illustrators==
Many erotic artists have illustrated Louÿs's writings. Some of the most renowned have been [[Georges Barbier]], [[Paul-Émile Bécat]], [[Antoine Calbet]], [[Beresford Egan]], [[Foujita]], [[Louis Icart]], [[Joseph Kuhn-Régnier]], [[Georges Lepape]], [[Mariette Lydis]], [[Milo Manara]], [[André Edouard Marty]], [[Pascal Pia]], [[Georges Pichard]], [[Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky|Rojan]], [[Marcel Vertès]], [[Édouard Zier]], and [[Donald Denton]].
Many erotic artists have illustrated Louÿs's writings. Some of the most renowned have been [[John Austen (illustrator)|John Austen]], [[Georges Barbier]], [[Paul-Émile Bécat]], [[Antoine Calbet]], [[Donald Denton (illustrator)|Donald Denton]], [[Beresford Egan]], [[Foujita]], [[Louis Icart]], [[Joseph Kuhn-Régnier]], [[Georges Lepape]], [[Mariette Lydis]], [[Milo Manara]], [[André Edouard Marty]], [[Georges Pichard]], [[Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky|Rojan]], [[Marcel Vertès]], [[Édouard François Zier|Édouard Zier]].<ref name="Kearney"/>


The best known illustrations for ''The Songs of Bilitis'' were done by [[Willy Pogany]] in art deco style for a publication circulated privately by [[Macy-Masius]], New York, during 1926.
One of the best known illustrations for ''The Songs of Bilitis'' were done by [[Willy Pogany]] in art deco style for a publication circulated privately by [[Macy-Masius]], New York, during 1926.<ref name="Kearney"/>


==List of works==
==List of works==
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** 1930: ''Véritables Chansons de Bilitis'' ("Real Songs of Bilitis", probably not by Pierre Louÿs).
** 1930: ''Véritables Chansons de Bilitis'' ("Real Songs of Bilitis", probably not by Pierre Louÿs).
* 1896: ''[[Aphrodite: mœurs antiques]]'' ("Aphrodite: ancient manners").
* 1896: ''[[Aphrodite: mœurs antiques]]'' ("Aphrodite: ancient manners").
** 1928: edition including suppressed passages (translated into English during 1928 by [[Whittaker Chambers]].<ref>
** 1928: edition including suppressed passages (translated into English during 1928 by [[Whittaker Chambers]]).<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
| title = Translations by Whittaker Chambers
| title = Translations by Whittaker Chambers
| publisher = WhittakerChambers.org
| publisher = WhittakerChambers.org
| url = http://www.whittakerchambers.org/translations.html
| url = http://www.whittakerchambers.org/translations.html
| accessdate = 1 December 2010}}</ref>
| access-date = 1 December 2010}}</ref>
* 1898: ''[[La Femme et le pantin]]'' ("The Woman and the Puppet").
* 1898: ''[[La Femme et le pantin]]'' ("The Woman and the Puppet").
** 1908 ''Woman and Puppet'' English translation by G. F. Monkshood (pseudonym of [[William James Clarke]] ).
** 1908 ''Woman and Puppet'' English translation by G. F. Monkshood (pseudonym of [[William James Clarke]] ).
* 1901: ''Les Aventures du roi Pausole'' ("The adventures of King Pausole").
* 1901: ''[[Les Aventures du roi Pausole (novel)|Les Aventures du roi Pausole]]'' ("The adventures of King Pausole").
** 1929 ''The Adventures of King Pausole'', English translation by [[Charles Hope Lumley]].
** 1929 ''The Adventures of King Pausole'', English translation by [[Charles Hope Lumley]].
* 1903: ''Sanguines''.
* 1903: ''Sanguines''.
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* 1925: ''Quatorze Images'' ("Fourteen images").
* 1925: ''Quatorze Images'' ("Fourteen images").
Published posthumously:
Published posthumously:
* 1926: ''[[Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l'usage des maisons d'éducation]]'' ("Handbook of behaviour for little girls to be used in educational establishments")
* 1926: ''[[Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l'usage des maisons d'éducation]]'' ("Handbook of behaviour for little girls to be used in educational establishments") • 2022 ''A Handbook of Manners for the Good Girls of France'', English translation by Lono Taggers
* 1926: ''Trois Filles de leur mère'' ("Three Daughters of their Mother")
* 1926: ''[[Trois Filles de leur mère]]'' ("Three Daughters of their Mother")
** 1958 ''The She-Devils'' (as by "Peter Lewys"), anonymous English translation [by William S. Robinson] published at Paris by the Ophelia Press.
** 1958 ''The She-Devils'' (as by "Peter Lewys"), anonymous English translation [by William S. Robinson] published at Paris by the [[Olympia Press]].
** 1969 ''Mother's Three Daughters'', English translation by Sabine D'Estree (pseudonym of [[Richard Seaver]] )
** 1969 ''Mother's Three Daughters'', English translation by Sabine D'Estree (pseudonym of [[Richard Seaver]] )
* 1927: ''Psyché''
* 1927: ''Psyché''
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* 1988: ''L'Île aux dames'' ("The island of women")
* 1988: ''L'Île aux dames'' ("The island of women")


For recent limited editions of further writings by Pierre Louÿs, see the bibliography<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scissors-and-paste.net/Louys.html |title=Scissors-and-paste.net |access-date=5 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528085357/http://www.scissors-and-paste.net/Louys.html |archive-date=28 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> by [[Patrick J. Kearney]]
For recent limited editions of further writings by Pierre Louÿs, see the ''Scissors-and-Paste'' bibliography<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scissors-and-paste.net/Louys.html |title=Scissors-and-paste.net |access-date=5 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528085357/http://www.scissors-and-paste.net/Louys.html |archive-date=28 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Adaptations==
==Adaptations==
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* ''[[Les Aventures du roi Pausole]]'', [[opérette]] in three acts with music by [[Arthur Honegger]] and libretto by [[Albert Willemetz]], [[Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens]] on 12 December 1930.
* ''[[Les Aventures du roi Pausole]]'', [[opérette]] in three acts with music by [[Arthur Honegger]] and libretto by [[Albert Willemetz]], [[Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens]] on 12 December 1930.
* ''Aphrodite'' ('Monodramma di costumi antichi') with music and libretto by [[Giorgio Battistelli]] after the novel ''Aphrodite–mœurs antiques''. Premiere: 7 Jul 1988; [[Villa Massimo]], Rome.
* ''Aphrodite'' ('Monodramma di costumi antichi') with music and libretto by [[Giorgio Battistelli]] after the novel ''Aphrodite–mœurs antiques''. Premiere: 7 Jul 1988; [[Villa Massimo]], Rome.
* ''Curiosa'', a Lou Jeunet's french movie, 2019.
* ''Curiosa'', Lou Jeunet's French movie, 2019.


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{See also author
{{See also author
|Wikisource=
|Wikisource=
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|EbooksG=84
|EbooksG=84
}}
}}
* [https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingAid.cfm?eadID=00297 Pierre Louÿs Papers] at the [[Harry Ransom Center]]
⚫
* {{Gutenberg author |id=Louÿs,+Pierre | name=Pierre Louÿs}}
*[https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_4079811 Finding aid to Pierre Louÿs papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.]
*[https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_4079811 Pierre Louÿs Papers] at [[Columbia University]]
⚫
*{{IMDb name|id=0522223|name=Pierre Louÿs}}
⚫
* {{Gutenberg author |id=1554| name=Pierre Louÿs}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Pierre Louÿs}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Pierre Louÿs}}
* {{Librivox author |id=5982}}
* {{Librivox author |id=5982}}
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120528085357/http://www.scissors-and-paste.net/Louys.html A Catalogue of the Erotic Works of Pierre Louÿs]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120528085357/http://www.scissors-and-paste.net/Louys.html A Catalogue of the Erotic Works of Pierre Louÿs]
*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/sob/ ''The Songs of Bilitis'' full text]
*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/sob/ ''The Songs of Bilitis'' full text]
⚫
*{{IMDb name|id=0522223|name=Pierre Louÿs}}


{{Pierre Louÿs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:1870 births]]
[[Category:1870 births]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Ghent]]
[[Category:Writers from Ghent]]
[[Category:Belgian expatriates in France]]
[[Category:Belgian expatriates in France]]
[[Category:French erotica writers]]
[[Category:French erotica writers]]
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[[Category:French male novelists]]
[[Category:French male novelists]]
[[Category:French bibliophiles]]
[[Category:French bibliophiles]]
[[Category:Officiers of the Légion d'honneur]]
[[Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Members of the Ligue de la patrie française]]
[[Category:Members of the Ligue de la patrie française]]
[[Category:19th-century French male writers]]
[[Category:19th-century French male writers]]

Latest revision as of 09:30, 28 August 2024

Pierre Louÿs
Louÿs, c. 1890–1900
Louÿs, c. 1890–1900
BornPierre-Félix Louis
(1870-12-10)10 December 1870
Ghent, Belgium
Died4 June 1925(1925-06-04) (aged 54)
Paris, France
Resting placeMontparnasse Cemetery
Pen namePierre Chrysis, Peter Lewys, Chibrac
Occupationnovelist, poet
LanguageFrench
Period1891–1925
GenreErotic literature
Literary movementSymbolism
Notable worksLes Chansons de Bilitis
Signature

Pierre-Félix Louÿs (French: [pjɛʁ lu.is]; 10 December 1870 – 4 June 1925) was a Belgian poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection".[1] He was made first a Chevalier and then an Officer of the Légion d'honneur for his contributions to French literature.[2][3]

Life

[edit]

Pierre Louÿs was born Pierre Félix Louis on 10 December 1870 in Ghent, Belgium, but relocated to France, where he spent the rest of his life. He studied at the École Alsacienne in Paris, and there he developed a good friendship with a future Nobel Prize winner and champion of homosexual rights André Gide. From 1890 onwards, he began spelling his name as "Louÿs", and pronouncing the final S, as a way of expressing his fondness for classical Greek culture (the letter Y is known in French as i grec or "Greek I").[4] During the 1890s, he became a friend of the Irish homosexual dramatist Oscar Wilde, and was the dedicatee of Wilde's Salomé in its original (French) edition. Louÿs thereby was able to socialize with homosexuals. Louÿs started writing his first erotic texts at the age of 18, at which time he developed an interest in the Parnassian and Symbolist schools of writing.[1] Louÿs had a long-term romantic relationship with fellow writer Marie de Régnier.

Early writings

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During 1891, Louÿs helped initiate a literary review, La Conque,[5] where he proceeded to publish Astarte, an early collection of erotic verse already marked by his distinctive style. During 1894 he published another erotic collection of 143 prose poems, Songs of Bilitis (Les Chansons de Bilitis), this time with strong lesbian themes.[6][7] It was divided into three sections, each representative of a phase of Bilitis's life: Bucolics in Pamphylia, Elegies at Mytilene, and Epigrams in the Isle of Cyprus; dedicated to her were also a short Life of Bilitis and three epitaphs in The Tomb of Bilitis. What made The Songs sensational is Louÿs's claim that the poems were the work of an ancient Greek courtesan and contemporary of Sappho, Bilitis; to himself, Louÿs ascribed the modest role of translator. The pretense did not last long, and "translator" Louÿs was soon revealed as Bilitis herself. This did little to discredit The Songs of Bilitis, however, as it was praised for its sensuality and refined style, even more extraordinary for the author's compassionate portrayal of lesbian sexuality.

Some of the poems were intended as songs for voice and piano. Louÿs's friend Claude Debussy composed a musical adaptation of three of the poems as his Chansons de Bilitis (Lesure Number 90) for voice and piano (1897–1898):[8]

  • La flûte de Pan: Pour le jour des Hyacinthies
  • La chevelure: Il m'a dit «Cette nuit j'ai rêvé»
  • Le tombeau des Naiades: Le long du bois couvert de givre.

Debussy also published Six épigraphes antiques during 1914 as piano pieces for four hands, commissioned as preludes to a recital of Louÿs's poems:

  • Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d'ete
  • Pour un tombeau sans nom
  • Pour que la nuit soit propice
  • Pour la danseuse aux crotales
  • Pour l'egyptienne
  • Pour remercier la pluie au matin

During 1955, one of the first lesbian organizations in America named itself Daughters of Bilitis,[9] and to the present Louÿs's Songs continues to be an important work for lesbians.

Later writings

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During 1896, Louÿs published his first novel, Aphrodite – Ancient Manners (Aphrodite – mœurs antiques), a description of courtesan life in Alexandria. It is considered a mixture of both literary excess and refinement, and was the best selling work (at 350,000 copies) by any living French author of the time.[citation needed] Although Debussy claimed exclusive rights to compose an opera based on Aphrodite (and Louÿs said he had to turn down several similar applications), the project never got under way.[10]

Louÿs later published Les Aventures du roi Pausole (The Adventures of King Pausole) in 1901, Pervigilium Mortis in 1916, both of them libertine compositions, and Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l'usage des maisons d'éducation, written during 1917 and published posthumously and anonymously in 1927.[11][12]

Inspired by Abel Lefranc's arguments for the Derbyite theory of Shakespeare authorship, Louÿs proposed in 1919 that the works of Molière were actually written by Corneille.

Even while on his deathbed, Pierre Louÿs continued to write erotic verses.[citation needed]

Illustrators

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Many erotic artists have illustrated Louÿs's writings. Some of the most renowned have been John Austen, Georges Barbier, Paul-Émile Bécat, Antoine Calbet, Donald Denton, Beresford Egan, Foujita, Louis Icart, Joseph Kuhn-Régnier, Georges Lepape, Mariette Lydis, Milo Manara, André Edouard Marty, Georges Pichard, Rojan, Marcel Vertès, Édouard Zier.[11]

One of the best known illustrations for The Songs of Bilitis were done by Willy Pogany in art deco style for a publication circulated privately by Macy-Masius, New York, during 1926.[11]

List of works

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  • 1891: Astarte.
  • 1894: Les Chansons de Bilitis ("The Songs of Bilitis").
    • 1926 The Songs of Bilitis, English translation by Alvah Bessie.
    • 1929: edition including suppressed poems.
    • 1930: Véritables Chansons de Bilitis ("Real Songs of Bilitis", probably not by Pierre Louÿs).
  • 1896: Aphrodite: mœurs antiques ("Aphrodite: ancient manners").
  • 1898: La Femme et le pantin ("The Woman and the Puppet").
  • 1901: Les Aventures du roi Pausole ("The adventures of King Pausole").
  • 1903: Sanguines.
  • 1906: Archipel ("Archipelago").
  • 1916: Pervigilium mortis ("Death watch").
  • 1925: Le Crépuscule des nymphes ("The twilight of the nymphs").
  • 1925: Quatorze Images ("Fourteen images").

Published posthumously:

  • 1926: Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l'usage des maisons d'éducation ("Handbook of behaviour for little girls to be used in educational establishments") • 2022 A Handbook of Manners for the Good Girls of France, English translation by Lono Taggers
  • 1926: Trois Filles de leur mère ("Three Daughters of their Mother")
    • 1958 The She-Devils (as by "Peter Lewys"), anonymous English translation [by William S. Robinson] published at Paris by the Olympia Press.
    • 1969 Mother's Three Daughters, English translation by Sabine D'Estree (pseudonym of Richard Seaver )
  • 1927: Psyché
  • 1927: Pages (selected texts)
  • 1927: Douze douzains de dialogues ("Twelve dozen dialogues")
  • 1927: Histoire du roi Gonzalve et des douze princesses ("Story of King Gonzalve and the twelve princesses")
  • 1927: Poésies érotiques ("Erotic poems")
  • 1927: Pybrac
  • 1927: Trente-deux Quatrains ("Thirty-two quatrains")
  • 1933: Au Temps des juges: chants bibliques ("In the time of the Judges: Biblical songs")
  • 1933: Contes choisis (selected stories)
  • 1938: La Femme ("Woman")
  • 1945: Stances et derniers vers ("Stanzas and last verses")
  • 1948: Le Trophée de vulves légendaires ("The trophy of legendary vulvas")
  • 1949: Cydalise
  • 1988: L'Île aux dames ("The island of women")

For recent limited editions of further writings by Pierre Louÿs, see the Scissors-and-Paste bibliography[14]

Adaptations

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References

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  1. ^ a b Donald Watt (ed), Aldous Huxley: The Critical Heritage (London/Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul). Footnote to page 51: "Louÿs, French novelist and poet (1870–1925) who sought to express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection"
  2. ^ Jeandillou, Jean-François (2001). Supercheries littéraires: la vie et l'oeuvre des auteurs supposés (Nouvelle éd. revue et augmenté ed.). Genève: Droz. p. 544. ISBN 978-2-600-00520-3.
  3. ^ French government record archives
  4. ^ "Pierre Louÿs: An Inventory of His Papers in the Carlton Lake Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center". Research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  5. ^ Rosemary Lloyd, Mallarmé: the poet and his circle. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-8014-8993-8, pp. 195–197
  6. ^ David Grayson, "Bilitis and Tanagra: afternoons with nude women" in Jane F. Fulcher (ed.), Debussy and his world. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-691-09042-4, pp. 117–140
  7. ^ Peter Cogman, "Louÿs, Pierre" in The Encyclopedia of Erotic Literature, Edited by Gaétan Brulotte and John Philips (pp. 828–835). London : Routledge, 2006, ISBN 978-1-57958-441-2
  8. ^ Linda Cummins, Debussy and the Fragment. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2006, ISBN 90-420-2065-2, p. 109
  9. ^ Elisabeth Ladenson, Proust's Lesbianism. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8014-3595-1, p. 3
  10. ^ Nichols, Roger (1998). The Life of Debussy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-0-521-57887-5.
  11. ^ a b c Patrick J. Kearney, A History of Erotic Literature. London: Parragon, 1982, ISBN 1-85813-198-7, p. 171
  12. ^ Pia, Pascal. Les Livres de l'Enfer: bibliographie critique des ouvrages érotiques dans leurs différentes éditions du XVIe siècle à nos jours, C. Coulet et A. Faure, 1978, ISBN 2-902687-01-X, pp. 425–426, 778
  13. ^ "Translations by Whittaker Chambers". WhittakerChambers.org. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  14. ^ "Scissors-and-paste.net". Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
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