Where Vivien's Publisher, Alphonse Lemerre, Had a Library

Renée Vivien: Her Life in Paris

Where Vivien's Publisher, Alphonse Lemerre, Had a Library

Paris, Île-de-France 75116, France

Created By: Mashka Sutton

Information

Alphonse Lemerre was a well-known publisher for many of the Parisian writers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the only publishers located in Paris during Vivien's life, and was known for his ambivalent personality and paternalistic nature. He owned a bookshop that he later converted into a library at 23 Pass. Choiseul that was stocked with works that he published. He published Vivien's works of poetry from 1901 until 1908, when Vivien became very distressed over a gossip column that exposed one of her lesbian loves and in response she quickly removed many of her works from circulation. Thereafter she became more secluded and less optimistic about her writing and its impact, as Colette notes in her writings. Vivien was very meticulous as a writer, writing her publisher changes that she wanted to make to her poetry even while on her deathbed.

Text Sources:

Hepburn, Lauren. “Renée Vivien: Sappho’s First Lesbian Translator.” Peter Harrington Blog (blog), February 10, 2021. https://www.peterharrington.co.uk/blog/renee-viviensapphos-first-female-translator/.

Onge, Ruth-Ellen. (2011). "A Banquet for Alphonse Lemerre, the Poets’ Publisher." Mémoires du livre. 3. 10.7202/1007580ar. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271352251_A_banquet_for_Alphonse_Lemerre_the_poets'_publisher/citation/download.

"Vivien, Renée 1877-1909. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/vivien-renee-1877-1909.

Image Source:

“Alphonse Lemerre (1838-1912), ‘l’éditeur des poètes.’” Billet. DEF19 (blog), October 15, 2020. https://def19.hypotheses.org/1914.

This point of interest is part of the tour: Renée Vivien: Her Life in Paris


 

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