Aubigne, Theodore Agrippa d'

Aubigné, Théodore Agrippa d’ 

Born Feb. 8, 1552, near Pons, Saint-Maury (Saintonge); died Apr. 29, 1630, in Geneva. French poet and historian.

A Huguenot, Aubigné fought in the Wars of Religion and served as aide-de-camp to Henry of Navarre (the future Henry IV). In his early works (the collection Printemps, published 1874) he imitated the writers of the Pléiade. Aubigné’s major work, Les Tragiques (1575–1615, published 1616), is a poem in seven cantos. Making use of biblical allegories, impassioned invectives, and lyrical outpourings, Aubigné described the misfortunes of the people during the Wars of Religion and satirically depicted the leaders of both parties.

Aubigné also wrote an autobiography, lampoons, and the novel The Adventures of the Baron de Faeneste (books 1–4, 1617—30), a satire on the nobility that betrays the influence of Rabelais. His Universal History, which chronicles historical events in France between 1553 and 1602, is devoted chiefly to the Wars of Religion. Based on Aubigné’s personal recollections, on the correspondence of military and political figures, and on other archival sources, the Universal History contains a great deal of factual information. To a significant extent, it is directed against royal absolutism.

WORKS

Histoire universelle, vols. 1–11. Paris, 1886–1925.
Oeuvres. Paris, 1969.
In Russian translation:
Tragicheskie poemy i sonety. Memuary. Moscow, 1949.
In Evropeiskie poety Vozrozhdeniia. Moscow, 1974.

REFERENCE

Istoriia frantsuzskoi literatury, vol. 1. Moscow-Leningrad, 1946. Pages 308–13.
Garnier, A. A. d’Aubigné et le parti protestant, vols. 1–3. Paris, 1928.
Rocheblave, S. Un Héros de l’épopée huguenote: A. d’Aubigné. Paris, 1930.
Galzy, J. Agrippa d’Aubigné. Paris, 1965.
Rousselot, J. A. d’Aubigné. [Paris, 1966.]
Bailbé, J. A. d’Aubigné: Poète des Tragiques. Caen, 1968.
Fasano, G. Les Tragiques: Un’ epopea della morte, vols. 1–2. Bari, 1970.

A. D. MIKHAILOV