Julia Daudet
| Julia Daudet | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Julia Daudet in 1875 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
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| Born |
13 July 1844 Paris, France |
| Died | 23 April 1940 (aged 95) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Writer, poet, journalist |
| Nationality | French |
Julia Daudet, born Julia Allard on 13 July 1844 and died on 23 April 1940, was a French writer, poet and journalist. She was the wife and collaborator of Alphonse Daudet, mother of Léon Daudet, Lucien Daudet and Edmée Daudet.
Julia Allard grew up in the Marais neighbourhood in Paris. Her parents were interested in literature and hosted a salon frequented by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore.
She published a collection of poetry when she was 17 years old under the name Marguerite Tournay. On 29 January 1867 she married Alphonse Daudet and became his collaborator. The couple had a summer home in Champrosay that is now a cultural centre. Julia Daudet was also known for her salon in Paris which was famous for its Thursday receptions, attended by writers and poets like Edmond de Goncourt, Hélène Vacaresco, Maurice Barrès, Émile Zola, Édouard Drumont, Rosemonde Gérard-Rostand, Guy de Maupassant, Ernest Renan, Arthur Meyer, Léon Gambetta and Rachilde. She published articles in many journals like the Journal officiel as a literary critic under the pseudonym of Karl Steen. She was an active member of the jury of the prix Fémina which gave her a venue to continue her literary activity after the death of Alphonse Daudet in 1897. In 1913, through her son Lucien Daudet, who was a good friend of Marcel Proust, she was one of the first readers of the manuscript of Remembrance of Things Past. She was immediately taken with the text and encouraged the author to persevere at a time when he was doubting his talent, since the novel had been rejected by many editors. In 1922 she became a chevalier of the Legion of honour. She died at the age of 95.
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