Goncourt Selection

Author: (French) Goncourt Edmond and Jules
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-11-01
Features: The Goncourt brothers were born into a middle-class family in Lorraine that had been granted noble status. Their grandfather was a representative of the Third Estate in the Constituent Assembly. Their father had once served as a cavalry captain in Napoleon's army and received the Legion of Honor at the age of twenty-six. He fought in campaigns across the country, sustaining multiple injuries. When he returned from the Russian campaign, his injuries were severe, and by the age of forty-seven, he had grown frail and died. Edmond said, "Your father was a soldier and never owned a single piece of art, but the household utensils were of exquisite quality, and through constant exposure, they nurtured their refined taste. Their mother was a Parisian of noble character. Their father passed away early, and they were raised solely by their mother, who had a delicate and sensitive soul, greatly influencing the two brothers."