Jeanne Marni

Jean Marni or J. Marni (nee Jeanne-Marie-Francoise Barousse; Mme. Marniere; 1854-1910) was a French writer. She wrote novels, plays, and journalistic pieces. She published a short story at the age of eight, but her other works were published after 1885, after she became a widow. Known by her pseudonym, J. Marni, she wrote a number of novels that were very French in tone. The best known are "La Femme de Silva," "L'Amour Coupable," "Papote," "La Princesse Sablina." Others of her works, that have been translated into English and other languages, include "Frangoise," "Reaction," " Le Veilleur" and "La Piece do Vin." She took up subjects considered repugnant to a woman of her time, and wrote them "threadbare". Most of her works are psychological studies—analyses of the human passions. She had a large following of readers in France.

Marni was born in Toulouse in 1854. The daughter of a "femme de lettres", she trained as an actress.

In March, 1907, a writer for Le Figaro said: “Jeanne Marni is totally different from the conception we generally have of a literary woman. She is pretty, distinguished looking with her abundance of white hair. Her cheeks are rosy, her eyes dreamy, her smile full of charm, and her costume always one of sober color and soft material. The most striking thing about her is that, although she has won a high place in contemporary literature, she is profoundly, absolutely and sweetly feminine. As a friend she is reliable, cordial and indulgent. She is a good listener and consequently learns many secrets of a confidential nature. Her intimate knowledge of the human heart has made her a rather cynical philosopher, but one without bitterness, for she is endowed with an excellent sense of humor.”

In 1871, she married Victor Désiré Marnière. After his death in 1880, Marni began to write both plays and novels. Her work was published in Le National, Le Petit Journal, L’Echo de Paris, and Le Journal. She then wrote a long novel entitled “L’Un et l’autre”. She was a ergular editor of Femina. Marni was an eager worker and wrote a certain number of pages each day. By reason of her health, the active life of Paris was somewhat severe for her, but she has a villa at Cannes, where she lived and worked for nine months of the year.

To the drama, Marni contributed a large number of one-act plays: “L’Aile,” “La Coopérative,” “L’heureux Auteur,”, and two works of considerable importance: “Manoune” (1901), and “Le Joug” (1902). She wrote, in collaboration with Camille Mauclair, a four-act comedy, “La Montée.” She produced a number of dialogued scenes of the sort brought into vogue by Gyp and Henri Lavedan. They were written in a series of brief, incisive, ironical lines that characterized a person or portrayed a situation. Among the best of these were “Vacances,” ‘.‘Acquitté” and “Premier Jeudi”.

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