BÉRANGER, PIERRE-JEAN de. - French poet, b. in Paris on 19 Aug. 1780, d. there on 16 July 1857. After a wretched and hardship-filled life he devoted himself to poetry, and his literary significance lies in having restored, with an easy and witty vein, the ancient goliardic poetry, transforming it into patriotic and popular song and using it as an instrument of propaganda.

He poured into it his important and fickle political ideas, his bitter sarcasm against authority; but too often he also shows himself there unprincipled, libertine and irreligious (cf. e.g.: Le Dieu des bonnes gens, Le fils du pape, Les révérends Pères, Les filles, Les deux sœurs, Le vieux célibataire). For this reason his Chansons were placed on the Index (29 July 1834).

Bibliography6 works

BIBL.: Works: Oeuvres complètes, 5 vols., ed. Perrotin, Paris 1851-57; Correspondance, 4 vols., ed. Boiteaux, ibid. 1860. - Studies: G. Bernard, B. et ses chansons, Paris 1859; J. Janin, B. et son temps, ibid. 1866; A. Boulle, B., sa vie, son oeuvre, ibid. 1908; L. Four, La vie en chansons de B., ibid. 1930; C. Esil, B. et ses amis, lettres inédites, in Revue de la France, 18 (1938), pp. 509-19.

@incollection{ec2_beranger_pierre_jean_de, author = {Redazione}, title = {Béranger, pierre-jean de}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {1367}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/beranger-pierre-jean-de} }

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Béranger, Pierre-Jean de

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