Népomucène Lemercier

Louis Jean Nepomucene Lemercier ( born April 20, 1771 in Paris, † June 7, 1840 ) was a French poet.

After several futile attempts Lemercier was in 1797 with his - debut successfully tragedy Agamemnon - in a classical style. From this time he was also a welcome guest in the salons; especially when Napoléon Bonaparte. Only when Lemercier had made as a free thinker at disliked Napoleon, this was also true in the other salons as persona non grata. Napoleon is said to have then also been imposed Lemercier's works. 1804, a few days before Napoleon's empire, Lemercier supposed to have said that: " If you restore the bed of the Bourbons, General, so you do not sleep more in it in ten years. "

1810 Lemercier was taken as the successor of the philosopher Jacqus -André Naigeon to the Académie française ( fauteuil 14).

Reception

It praised the elegance of Népomucénes verses; the grace of his style and his exuberant imagination. The most notable of his poems is the philosophical satire La Panhypocrisiade, ou la Comédie du infernale XVI. siècle, where Victor Hugo called a literary chimera; a mixture of epic farce and satire.

With his work he wanted Pinto Beaumarchais ' outdo the great day or The Marriage of Figaro, which he did not succeed because it was an unfortunate mixture of tragedy and comedy, in content and form full of innovations.

The rest of his many works have received little attention, except for the tragedy Fredegonde Brune et Skin (1821 ), although also gained no lasting success, however, contributed to that one Lemercier called the father of romanticism, while he has always protested.

Works (selection)

• Agamemnon. 1797.
• Quatre métamorphoses. In 1800.
• Panhypocrisiade ou la comédie infernale du XVI. siècle. 1819 (16 songs ).
• Pinto. 1801.