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Life and career of Frederic Stendhal, biography. Life and creative path of Stendhal Stendhal years of life

fr. Marie Henry Beyle; alias Stendhal (Stendhal)

French writer, one of the founders of the psychological novel

Stendhal

short biography

Frederik Stendhal- the literary pseudonym of Henri Marie Bayle, a famous French writer, one of the founders of the psychological novel genre, one of the most prominent writers of France in the 19th century. During his lifetime, he gained fame less as a novelist and more as a writer of books about Italian sights. He was born on January 23, 1783 in Grenoble. His father, a wealthy lawyer who lost his wife early (Henri Marie was 7 years old) did not pay enough attention to raising his son.

As a pupil of Abbot Ralyana, Stendhal was imbued with antipathy to religion and the church. Passion for the works of Holbach, Diderot and other philosophers of the Enlightenment, as well as the First French Revolution, had a huge impact on the formation of Stendhal's views. Throughout his later life, he remained faithful to revolutionary ideals and defended them as resolutely as none of his fellow writers who lived in the 19th century did.

For three years, Henri studied at the Central School of Grenoble, and in 1799 he left for Paris, intending to become a student at the Polytechnic School. However, Napoleon's coup made such a strong impression on him that he signed up for the army. Young Henri ended up in the Italian North, and this country will forever remain in his heart. In 1802, filled with disappointment in the policies of Napoleon, he resigned, settled for three years in Paris, read a lot, becoming a frequenter of literary salons and theaters, while dreaming of a career as a playwright. In 1805 he was again in the army, but this time as a quartermaster. Accompanying troops on military campaigns until 1814, he, in particular, took part in the battles of the Napoleonic army in Russia in 1812.

Having a negative attitude towards the return of the monarchy in the person of the Bourbons, Stendhal resigns after the defeat of Napoleon and moves to Italian Milan for seven years, where his first books appear: The Life of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio (published in 1817), as well as research "Rome, Naples and Florence" and the two-volume "History of Painting in Italy".

The persecution of the Carbonari that began in the country in 1820 forced Stendhal to return to France, but rumors about his "suspicious" connections did him a disservice, forcing him to behave extremely cautiously. Stendhal collaborates with English magazines without signing publications with his name. A number of works appear in Paris, in particular, the treatise “Racine and Shakespeare” published in 1823, which became the manifesto of the French romantics. These years in his biography were quite difficult. The writer was filled with pessimism, his financial situation depended on episodic earnings, he wrote a will more than once during this time.

When the July Monarchy was established in France, in 1830 Stendhal got the opportunity to enter the civil service. King Louis appointed him consul in Trieste, but unreliability allowed him to take this position only in Civita Vecchia. Having an atheistic outlook, sympathizing with revolutionary ideas, and writing works imbued with the spirit of protest, it was equally difficult for him to live in France and Italy.

From 1836 to 1839, Stendhal was in Paris on a long vacation, during which his last famous novel, The Parma Convent, was written. During another vacation, this time a short one, he came to Paris for just a few days, and there he had a stroke. This happened in the autumn of 1841, and on March 22, 1842, he died. The last years of his life were overshadowed by a difficult physical condition, weakness, inability to fully work: this is how syphilis manifested itself, which Stendhal contracted in his youth. Unable to write himself and dictating texts, Henri Marie Bayle continued to compose until his death.

Biography from Wikipedia

Marie-Henri Beyle(French Marie-Henri Beyle; January 23, 1783, Grenoble - March 23, 1842, Paris) - French writer, one of the founders of the psychological novel. He appeared in print under various pseudonyms, published the most important works under the name Stendhal (Stendhal). During his lifetime, he was known not so much as a novelist, but as the author of books about the sights of Italy.

early years

Henri Beyle (pseudonym Stendhal) was born on January 23, 1783 in Grenoble in the family of the lawyer Sheruben Beyle. Henriette Bayle, the writer's mother, died when the boy was seven years old. Therefore, his aunt Serafi and his father were engaged in his upbringing. Little Henri did not work out with them. Only his grandfather Henri Gagnon treated the boy warmly and attentively. Later, in his autobiography, The Life of Henri Brular, Stendhal recalled: “I was brought up entirely by my dear grandfather, Henri Gagnon. This rare person once made a pilgrimage to Ferney to see Voltaire, and was well received by him ... " Henri Gagnon was an admirer of the Enlightenment and introduced Stendhal to the work of Voltaire, Diderot and Helvetius. Since then, Stendhal has developed an aversion to clericalism. Due to the fact that Henri, as a child, encountered the Jesuit Rayyan, who forced him to read the Bible, he experienced horror and distrust of the clergy all his life.

While studying at the Grenoble central school, Henri followed the development of the revolution, although he hardly understood its importance. He studied at school for only three years, having mastered, by his own admission, only Latin. In addition, he was fond of mathematics, logic, philosophy, studied art history.

In 1799, Henri traveled to Paris with the intention of enrolling in the Ecole Polytechnique. But instead, inspired by Napoleon's coup, he enters the service in the army. He was enrolled as a sub-lieutenant in a dragoon regiment. Influential relatives from the Daru family secured an appointment for Beyle to the north of Italy, and the young man fell in love with this country forever. Freemasonry historian A. Mellor believes that "Stendhal's Freemasonry did not become widely publicized, although he belonged to the order for some time."

In 1802, gradually disillusioned with Napoleon, he resigned and lived for the next three years in Paris, educating himself, studying philosophy, literature and English. As follows from the diaries of that time, the future Stendhal dreamed of a career as a playwright, "the new Molière". Having fallen in love with actress Melanie Loison, the young man followed her to Marseille. In 1805 he returned to serve in the army again, but this time as a quartermaster. As an officer of the quartermaster service of the Napoleonic army, Henri traveled to Italy, Germany, and Austria. On campaigns, he found time for reflection and wrote notes on painting and music. He filled thick notebooks with his notes. Some of these notebooks perished while crossing the Berezina.

In 1812, Henri took part in Napoleon's Russian campaign. He visited Orsha, Smolensk, Vyazma, and witnessed the Battle of Borodino. I saw how Moscow burned, although he had no actual combat experience.

Literary activity

After the fall of Napoleon, the future writer, who negatively perceived the Restoration and the Bourbons, resigned and left for seven years in Italy, in Milan. It was here that he prepared for printing and wrote his first books: "The Lives of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio" (1815), "The History of Painting in Italy" (1817), "Rome, Naples and Florence in 1817". Large portions of the text of these books are borrowed from the works of other authors.

Claiming the laurels of the new Winckelmann, Henri Beyle takes the name of the author's hometown as his main pseudonym. In Italy, Henry is moving closer to the Republicans - the Carbonari. Here he experienced a hopeless love for Matilda Viscontini, the wife of the Polish General J. Dembowski, who died early, but left a mark on his heart forever.

In 1820, the persecution of the Carbonari, including Stendhal's friends, began in Italy, forcing him to return to his homeland two years later. Disgust for the reactionary Austrian regime, which established its dominance in the north of Italy, he would later convey on the pages of the novel The Parma Monastery. Paris met the writer unfriendly, as rumors about his dubious Italian acquaintances got here, he has to be very careful. He is published in English magazines without signing his articles. Only a hundred years later the author of these articles was identified. In 1822, he published the book "On Love" in various historical eras. In 1823, a manifesto of French romanticism, the treatise Racine and Shakespeare, was published in Paris.

In the 1920s, Stendhal gained a reputation in literary salons as a tireless and witty debater. In the same years, he creates several works that testify to his movement towards realism. Publishes his first novel "Armans" (1827), the story "Vanina Vanini" (1829). In the same 1829, he was offered to create a guide to Rome, he responded, and so the book Walks in Rome appeared, which is a story of French travelers about a trip to Italy. In 1830, the novel "Red and Black" was published, based on the incident, which the author read about in the newspaper section of the criminal chronicle. These years were quite difficult in the life of a writer who did not have a permanent income. He drew pistols in the margins of his manuscripts and wrote numerous wills.

Late period

After the establishment of the July Monarchy in France on July 28, 1830, Stendhal enters the civil service. He was appointed French consul in Trieste and then in Civitavecchia, where he would serve as consul until his death. In this port town, the Parisian was bored and lonely, the bureaucratic routine left little time for literary pursuits. To unwind, he often traveled to Rome. In 1832 he began to write "Memoirs of an Egotist", and after another 2 years he took up the novel "Lucien Leven", which he later abandoned. From 1835 to 1836 he was fascinated by writing an autobiographical novel, The Life of Henri Brular.

Having secured a long vacation for himself, Stendhal spent fruitful three years in Paris from 1836 to 1839. During this time, Notes of a Tourist (published in 1838) and the last novel, The Parma Convent, were written. (Stendhal, if he did not invent the word "tourism", was the first to introduce it into wide circulation). The attention of the general reading public to the figure of Stendhal in 1840 was attracted by one of the most popular French novelists, Balzac, in his "Study of Bale". Shortly before his death, the diplomatic department granted the writer a new vacation, which allowed him to return to Paris for the last time.

In recent years, the writer was in a very serious condition: the disease progressed. In his diary, he wrote that he was taking mercury preparations and potassium iodide for treatment, and that at times he was so weak that he could hardly hold a pen, and therefore had to dictate texts. Mercury preparations are known for many side effects. The assumption that Stendhal died of syphilis does not have sufficient evidence. In the 19th century, there was no relevant diagnosis of this disease (for example, gonorrhea was considered the initial stage of the disease, there were no microbiological, histological, cytological and other studies) - on the one hand. On the other hand, a number of figures of European culture were considered dead from syphilis - Heine, Beethoven, Turgenev and many others. In the second half of the 20th century, this point of view was revised. Thus, for example, Heinrich Heine is now regarded as suffering from one of the rare neurological ailments (more precisely, a rare form of one of the ailments).

March 23, 1842 Stendhal, having lost consciousness, fell right on the street and died a few hours later. Death was most likely due to a second stroke. Two years earlier, he suffered his first stroke, accompanied by severe neurological symptoms, including aphasia.

Stendhal was buried in the Montmartre cemetery.

In his will, the writer asked to write on the tombstone (performed in Italian):

Arrigo Bayle
Milanese
Wrote. I loved. Lived.

Artworks

Fiction is a small fraction of what Bayle wrote and published. In order to earn his living, at the dawn of his literary activity, in a great hurry, he "created biographies, treatises, memoirs, memoirs, travel essays, articles, even original" guidebooks "and wrote books of this kind much more than novels or short stories" ( D. V. Zatonsky).

His travel essays "Rome, Naples et Florence" ("Rome, Naples and Florence"; 1818; 3rd ed. 1826) and "Promenades dans Rome" ("Walks in Rome", 2 vol. 1829) throughout the 19th century used success with travelers in Italy (although the main estimates from the standpoint of today's science seem hopelessly outdated). Stendhal also owns the "History of Painting in Italy" (vol. 1-2; 1817), "Notes of a Tourist" (fr. "Mémoires d "un touriste", vol. 1-2, 1838), the famous treatise "On Love" ( published in 1822).

Novels and short stories

The first novel - "Armans" (fr. "Armance", vols. 1-3, 1827) - about a girl from Russia who receives the inheritance of a repressed Decembrist, was not successful.
"Vanina Vanini" (fr. "Vanina Vanini", 1829) - a story about the fatal love of an aristocrat and a carbonaria, filmed in 1961 by Roberto Rossellini
“Red and Black” (French “Le Rouge et le Noir”; 2 volumes, 1830; 6 hours, 1831; Russian translation by A. N. Pleshcheev in “Notes of the Fatherland”, 1874) is the most important work of Stendhal, the first in European literature novel career; was highly appreciated by major writers, including Pushkin and Balzac, but at first he was not successful with the general public.
In the adventure novel "The Parma Monastery" ( "La Chartreuse de Parme"; 2 vol. 1839-1846) Stendhal gives a fascinating description of court intrigues in a small Italian court; the Ruritanian tradition of European literature goes back to this work.

Unfinished artwork

The novel "Red and White", or "Lucien Leuwen" (fr. "Lucien Leuwen", 1834-1836, published 1929).
The autobiographical novels The Life of Henri Brulard (French Vie de Henry Brulard, 1835, ed. 1890) and Memoirs of an Egotist (French Souvenirs d "égotisme", 1832, ed. 1892), an unfinished novel, were also published posthumously. "Lamiel" (fr. "Lamiel", 1839-1842, ed. 1889, in full 1928) and "Excessive favor is fatal" (1839, ed. 1912-1913).

Italian stories

Sorting through the archives of the Papal State of the Renaissance, Stendhal discovered many romantic stories that in the 1830s. prepared for publication under the title "Italian Chronicles" (fr. "Chroniques italiennes"). A separate edition of these stories followed in 1855.

Editions

The complete works of Bayle in 18 volumes (Paris, 1855-1856), as well as two volumes of his correspondence (1857), were published by Prosper Mérimée.
Sobr. op. ed. A. A. Smirnova and B. G. Reizova, vol. 1-15, Leningrad - Moscow, 1933-1950.
Sobr. op. in 15 vols. General ed. and intro. Art. B. G. Reizova, vol. 1-15, Moscow, 1959.
Stendhal (Beyl A.M.). Moscow in the first two days of the entry of the French into it in 1812. (From Stendhal's diary) / Communication. V. Gorlenko, note. P. I. Barteneva // Russian archive, 1891. - Book. 2. - Issue. 8. - S. 490-495.

Characteristics of creativity

Stendhal expressed his aesthetic credo in the articles "Racine and Shakespeare" (1822, 1825) and "Walter Scott and the Princess of Cleves" (1830). In the first of them, he interprets romanticism not as a concrete historical phenomenon inherent in the beginning of the 19th century, but as a rebellion of innovators of any era against the conventions of the previous period. The standard of romanticism for Stendhal is Shakespeare, who "teaches movement, variability, the unpredictable complexity of world perception." In the second article, he abandons the Walter-Scottian inclination to describe "the clothes of the heroes, the landscape in which they are, their features." According to the writer, it is much more productive in the tradition of Madame de Lafayette "to describe the passions and various feelings that excite their souls."

Frederic Stendhal is the pseudonym of Henri Marie Bayle, a famous French writer, one of the founders of the psychological novel genre, one of the most prominent writers of France in the 19th century. During his lifetime, he gained fame less as a novelist and more as a writer of books about Italian sights. He was born on January 23, 1783 in Grenoble.

His father, a wealthy lawyer who lost his wife early (Henri Marie was 7 years old) did not pay enough attention to raising his son.

The persecution of the Carbonari that began in the country in 1820 forced Stendhal to return to France, but rumors about his "suspicious" connections did him a disservice, forcing him to behave extremely cautiously. Stendhal collaborates with English magazines without signing publications with his name. A number of works appeared in Paris, in particular, the treatise "Racine and Shakespeare" published in 1823, which became the manifesto of the French romantics. These years in his biography were quite difficult. The writer was filled with pessimism, his financial situation depended on episodic earnings, he wrote a will more than once during this time.

Frederic Stendhal (Henri Marie Bayle) was born in Grenoble in 1783, just a few years before the French Revolution. The Bayle family was wealthy. The father of the future writer was a lawyer. His mother died when he was only 7 years old. The boy was raised by his grandfather Henri Gagnon. Being an educated man, Monsieur Gagnon sought to educate his grandson as well. It was the grandfather who taught little Henri Marie to read. The love of books gave birth to a love of writing, which the boy began to do secretly from everyone at a very early age.

All members of the Bayle family were ardent monarchists. The execution of the French king was a real nightmare for Henri's family. Only the future writer rejoiced at this death and even cried with delight.

In 1796, Henri Marie was sent to school. Oddly enough, the boy's favorite subject was mathematics, and not literature or his native language. Later, the writer, recalling his childhood, admitted that he hated hypocrisy most of all in people. He fell in love with mathematics because it is an exact science, which means that it does not involve hypocrisy.

In the late 1790s, Stendhal moved to Paris. In the capital, he planned to enter the Polytechnic School. However, instead of school, the future writer entered the military service, which was facilitated by his influential relative. Until 1812, Napoleon was Stendhal's idol. Together with the troops of Bonaparte, the future writer visited Italy. He also managed to visit Russia, where Stendhal almost died. Despite the fact that the Russians were enemies, the writer did not hate them, admiring their patriotism and heroism.

Returning home, Stendhal saw his homeland devastated. He blamed Napoleon for the ruin of France. Stendhal no longer considered Bonaparte his idol and was sincerely ashamed of his nationality. When Napoleon was sent into exile, the writer also decided to leave the country and moved to Italy, considering it more freedom-loving. In those years, the movement of the Carbonari, who fought for the liberation of their homeland from Austrian domination, became widespread in Italy. Stendhal took an active part in the liberation movement, for which he was twice sentenced to death. The writer happened to live in England. His life abroad depended on odd jobs. Since the 1820s, Henri Marie Bayle began to sign for the first time with his pseudonym.

Stendhal decided to return to his homeland in 1830 to enter the civil service. In the same year, 1830, he was appointed consul and sent to Trieste. However, the Austrian authorities were worried about the "dark" past of the new consul, in connection with which the writer was transferred to Civitavecchia. The salary was more than modest, but Stendhal did not want to leave the country he loved again and remained in the position of consul until the end of his days.

Poor health often forced the writer to return to his homeland, taking a long vacation. One of the holidays lasted 3 years (1836-1839). The last years of Stendhal's life were especially difficult: syphilis, which the writer contracted in his youth, manifested itself in the form of the inability to fully work and weakness. In 1841, the writer once again came to Paris, where he had a stroke. Unable to record on his own, Stendhal dictated his works, continuing to compose until his death in March 1842.

People who knew Stendhal closely speak of him as a secretive person who loves solitude and loneliness. The writer had a vulnerable and subtle soul. One of the hallmarks of his character was his hatred of tyranny. At the same time, the writer doubted any liberation movement. He sincerely sympathized and even helped the Carbonari, but did not believe that their efforts would yield positive results. There was no unity between the coal miners: some dreamed of a republic, others wanted to see a monarchy in their country.

Italy has become a second home for the great French writer. He fell in love with the Italians, considering them, unlike his compatriots, more sincere. The introverted Bayle was much closer to the Italian wildness and determination than the restraint and hypocrisy characteristic of France in the 19th century. The writer found Italian women more attractive and had more than one love affair with them. Even on his gravestone, Stendhal wanted to see the inscription: "Enrico Bayle, Milanese."

Aesthetic requirements

Stendhal began his literary career at a very early age. Over the years of hard work on his style, the writer was able to develop his own concepts, which he sought to follow when working on the next novel.

Passionate character

Prominent character in the center

In the center of each work should be a bright, "passionate" image. This character prefers to be in opposition, disagreeing with injustice and violence. The protagonist must certainly love, otherwise his whole struggle becomes simply meaningless.

The author himself does not consider his characters to be romantics, despite the presence of clear signs of a romantic hero. According to Stendhal, the literary images he created are researchers and figures. A romantic, on the other hand, is not capable of anything but "noble anger."

Accuracy and simplicity

The works of the great French writer are distinguished by simplicity and conciseness. Stendhal's love for mathematics during his school years was reflected in all his novels. The writer believed that the reader should see in the book not pathos and incomprehensible descriptions of the inner world of the character, but an accurate analysis, thanks to which anyone can understand what is happening with the main character.

The concept of historicism

For Stendhal, it is unacceptable to depict a person outside of circumstances, as in romantic writers, or a person in general, as in classic writers. The reader should know what era the main character lives in and what place he occupies among his contemporaries. Characters cannot be “pulled out” of the historical context. All of them are people of their time. The era to which they belong has shaped their character. Only having an understanding of the historical context, the reader can understand what exactly drives the main character, becomes the motive for his actions.

In the following article, you can read a summary of Stendhal's "Red and Black", which tells the love story of Julien Sorel, which later ruined him.

Another outstanding novel by Stendhal is The Cloister of Parma, which, moreover, is his last completed novel, the events of which take place after the end of the era of Napoleon's reign.

Red, black, white

Stendhal's name is traditionally associated with the novel Red and Black. The novel was created in 1830 based on real events. Literary critics for a long time could not understand why the author gave the novel such a name. Both colors are reminiscent of tragedy, bloodshed and death. And the combination of red and black is associated with the upholstery of the coffin. The title itself sets the reader up for a tragic ending.

5 years after writing his first brilliant novel, Stendhal creates a work with a similar title - "Red and White". The similarity of names is not accidental. In addition, the title and content of the new novel somewhat explains the title of the previous one. The black color, most likely, meant not death, but the low origin of the protagonist Julien Sorel. The white color indicates the elite, from which Lucien Leven, the protagonist of the second novel, came from. The red color is a symbol of the difficult, anxious time in which the two main characters have to live.

Stendhal- a famous French writer, one of the founders of the psychological novel. In his works, Stendhal skillfully described the emotions and character of his characters.

At a young age, Stendhal had to meet the Jesuit Rayyan, who encouraged the boy to read the holy books of Catholics. However, having learned Rayyanom closer, Stendhal began to feel distrust and even disgust for church ministers.

When Stendhal was 16 years old, he went to enter the Polytechnic School.

However, inspired by the French Revolution and the actions of Napoleon, he decides to join the army.

Soon, not without outside help, Stendhal was transferred to serve in northern Italy. Once in this country, he was fascinated by its beauty and architecture.

It was there that Stendhal wrote the first works in his biography. It is worth noting that he wrote many works about Italian sights.

Later, the writer presented the book "Biography of Haydn and Metastasio", in which he described in detail the biographies of great composers.

He publishes all his works under the pseudonym Stendhal.

Soon, Stendhal met the secret society of the Carbonari, whose members criticized the current government and promoted the ideas of democracy.

As a result, he had to be very careful.

Over time, rumors began to appear that Stendhal was in close ties with the Carbonari, in connection with which he was forced to urgently return to France.

Works by Stendhal

After 5 years, the novel "Armans" was published, written in the style of realism.

After that, the writer presented the story "Vanina Vanini", which tells about the love of a rich Italian woman for an arrested carbonari.

In 1830, he wrote one of the most famous novels in his biography, Red and Black. Today it is included in the compulsory school curriculum. Based on this work, many films and serials were shot.

In the same year, Stendhal becomes consul in Trieste, after which he works in Civitavecchia (a city in Italy) in the same position.

By the way, here he will work until his death. During this period, he wrote the autobiographical novel The Life of Henri Brulard.

After that, Stendhal is working on the novel The Parma Monastery. An interesting fact is that he managed to write this work in just 52 days.

Personal life

In Stendhal's personal life, not everything was as smooth as in the literary field. And although he had many love affairs with different girls, in the end, they all stopped.

At the same time, it is worth noting that Stendhal, in general, did not seek to marry, since he connected his life only with literature. As a result, he never left any offspring.

Death

Stendhal spent the last years of his life in a serious illness. Doctors discovered he had syphilis, so he was forbidden to leave the city.

Over time, he became so weak that he could no longer hold the pen in his hands on his own. For writing works, Stendhal used the help of stenographers.

A few days before his death, he was allowed to go to Paris to say goodbye to loved ones.

Stendhal died on March 23, 1842 while walking. He was 59 years old. The official cause of death was a stroke, which was the second in a row.

The writer is buried in Paris at the Montmartre cemetery. An interesting fact is that shortly before his death, Stendhal asked to write the following phrase on his tombstone: “Arrigo Beyle. Milanese. He wrote, he loved, he lived.

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We offer you to get acquainted with the life and work of the great writer. He signed his creations "Stendhal". The biography of this writer, as well as his works, is of interest to many today. However, not everyone knows that his real name was. The writer sometimes tried to appropriate himself a title of nobility, sometimes signing as "Henri de Bayle". Probably so would Julien Sorel, the famous hero of his novel.

Origin of Stendhal

Stendhal came from a family of respectable bourgeois, whose biography is reflected in the works he created. In Grenoble, in a law office, his father served. In 1783, the future writer was born. His mother died after 7 years, leaving her son to be raised by his father and aunt Serafi. Stendhal hated both. His father was a suspicious, stern and callous man. Stendhal owed his early education to priests. This was the main reason for his anti-clericalism. In the confrontation with his father and spiritual mentors, the character of the writer was formed.

Character and personality of Stendhal

Very narcissistic, impulsive, sensual, critical and undisciplined was Stendhal. His biography is interesting not only for events in life, but also for the inner world of this writer. People who knew him closely said that he was secretive, loved loneliness and solitude. Stendhal had a subtle and vulnerable soul. Hatred of tyranny was one of the main traits of his character. At the same time, Stendhal doubted the liberation movements. He sympathized with the Carbonari and even helped them, but did not believe that their activities would lead to positive results. There was no unity between the coal miners: some dreamed of a republic, others dreamed of seeing a monarchy in their country.

Education at the Central School and time spent in Paris

His maternal grandfather, a doctor by profession, encouraged his passion for literature. He was a man with good artistic taste. When Stendhal was 13 years old, he was sent to study at the Central School, located in Grenoble. Here he excelled in mathematics. He was even predicted to study at the Paris Polytechnic School as an engineer. In 1799, Stendhal arrived there, the day after the coup d'etat, after which Napoleon became the ruler of France. Bayle, forgetting his intention to become an engineer, rushed headlong into the imperial adventure that swept over the country. Daru, a distant relative of the future writer, who later became secretary of state, was in great favor with Napoleon. He secured a church position for Stendhal, which he took at the military headquarters. However, this work turned out to be too boring for him. Young Henri, who was only 17 years old, received the knowledge of sub-lieutenant the very next year. He was sent to Italy. At that time, the French army was stationed there.

Life in Italy

Bayle did not know anything about this country, which later became his second home, as well as the scene of one of his most famous and major novels. The young man admired everything here: the painting of Correggio, the music of Cimarosa, the Italian opera. He also found the Italian temperament attractive. He seemed to him more resolute, passionate and less civilized than French. Italy, especially Milan and Rome, became so fond of Bayle that he even wanted to carve the following words on his gravestone: "Enrico Bayle, Milanese." Bayle fell in love with local women. Since that time, his private life has become a chronicle of mainly love affairs.

public service

The following years were very active. Stendhal, whose biography and work we are interested in, in 1806 again entered the service, taking up an administrative post in Brunswick, occupied by the French. Here he began to learn German. Stendhal was in good company. The respect that surrounded him flattered him, but he was rather bored. Bayle later traveled extensively in Austria and Germany. He was sent to Vienna on a government mission. He also went to Russia after the emperor. In Russia, Bayle became an eyewitness to the battles of Borodino and Smolensk. He was also present at the fire of Moscow. He then retreated to Western Europe along with the French army. The power of Napoleon was collapsing, and Bayle left France when Paris fell. He realized that his career in the circles of power was over.

Return to literary activity

The state was now ruled by the Bourbons. Bayle returned to literary activity. From that moment on, he became known as Frederik Stendhal. A brief biography of his these years is marked by the creation of many works. His writings written in the 1820s were quite diverse. Among them were the biographies of great composers (in 1817 - the book "The Life of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio", in 1824 - "The Life of Rossini"); and the 1812 treatise "On Love"; and A History of Painting in Italy, written in 1817; and Walks in Rome, 1829.

In addition, he published various articles in magazines in London and Paris. This is an abbreviated biography of Stendhal of these years. His life depended on odd jobs in France, England and Italy.

Transfer to Civitavecchia

A bourgeois monarch was placed on the throne in 1830. Now before Stendhal opened the opportunity to again engage in public service. Then, in 1830, he became consul in Trieste. Here the Austrian authorities did not like his reputation as a radical. Stendhal was transferred to the papal state, in Civitavecchia. He was given a more modest salary than before. But from here it was a stone's throw to beloved Rome.

Deterioration of health and further biography of Stendhal

We briefly talked about why Stendhal was forced to be content with the position of consul, being far from his homeland. He remained in this position until the end of his life, although he often had to be absent for long periods due to poor health. Because of him, he often took a long vacation and returned to his homeland. One of them lasted for three whole years (from 1836 to 1839). The last years of this writer's life were especially difficult. Even in his youth, he contracted syphilis. This disease made itself felt by weakness and the inability to fully work.

Novels "Red and Black" and "Red and White"

In the last year of the reign of Charles X, the novel "Red and Black" was written. In 1831, by the time this book was published, it was already obsolete, at least as far as criticism of the Bourbons was concerned. However, the name of Stendhal today is associated primarily with this novel. It was created based on real events in 1830. Literary critics for a long time could not answer the question why the author gave such a name to his work. Both of these colors are reminiscent of death, bloodshed and tragedy. And the combination of black and cool is also associated with the upholstery of the coffin. The very title of the work sets readers up for a tragic ending.

5 years after the creation of this novel, Stendhal wrote "Red and White". It is no coincidence that the titles of the two works are similar. In addition, the content and title of the new novel explain to some extent the title of the previous one. Most likely, by black, the author did not mean death at all, but the low origin of Julien Sorel, the main character. Bely pointed to the elite, whose representative was the protagonist of the 2nd novel, Lucien Leven. And red is a symbol of the troubled time in which these two characters lived.

New works

Stendhal over the next ten years created 2 autobiographical works: in 1832 - "Memoirs of an Egoist", in 1835-36 - "The Life of Henri Brular", in 1834-35. - the novel "Lucien Levene", which remained unfinished. Not wanting to risk his consular position again, he did not dare to publish his writings during his lifetime. In 1839, Stendhal's second masterpiece (after Red and Black) was published - The Parma Monastery. This is a story of intrigue and adventure taking place in Italy.

Return to Paris and death

The writer in 1841 again came to Paris, where he had a stroke. However, he continued to compose until his death, dictating his works. Stendhal could no longer write them down on his own. His biography ends in March 1842, when he died of a stroke after a long illness. Stendhal died in Paris.

What direction in literature does the writer Frederik Stendhal belong to?

The biography you just read gives a general idea of Stendhal's life. And what are the features of his work? Let's answer this question too. The path of this writer to fame was long. Stendhal said that he writes his works "for the lucky few". He predicted that no earlier than 1880, glory would come to him. And Stendhal was right. Perhaps his greatest failure was that he did not fit into one or another literary stereotype that existed in his time. What separated Stendhal from 18th century authors was his love for selfish heroes like Napoleon. However, he could not be called a romantic writer either. This author lacked both the sentimentality of Lamartine and the epic scope of Hugo. Only when these figures left the literary pedestal did it become clear what the true greatness of the writer we are interested in lies in - in psychological realism. Thanks to him, Stendhal became famous all over the world.

Biography, a summary of the works of this author, critical articles about him - all this is still of interest to many connoisseurs of his work today. Undoubtedly, Stendhal is one of the classics of French literature. In order to better acquaint the reader with him, we created the above biography of Stendhal. The chronological table of life and work, which in some textbooks is limited to information about him, does not give an idea of \u200b\u200bhis personality, misses many significant details. The biography you have just read is free from these shortcomings.

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