BÉRANGER, PIERRE-JEAN DE - Enciclopedia Cattolica, Vol. II, p. 794

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

BÉRANGER, PIERRE-JEAN de. — French poet, born in Paris on 19 Aug. 1780, died there on 16 July 1857. After a life of hardship and adversity, he turned 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 elevating it to a tool of propaganda.

He infused it with his political ideas, which were fickle and changeable, and with bitter sarcasm against authority; yet too often he also displayed therein a lack of restraint, libertinism, and irreligion (cf., e.g.: *Le Dieu des bonnes gens*, *Le fils du pape*, *Les révérends Pères*, *Les filles*, *Les deux soeurs*, *Le vieux célibataire*). For this reason, his *Chansons* were placed on the Index (29 July 1834).

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.