François Bernard-Valville


François Marcellin Bernard-Valville was an 18th/19th-century French playwright and librettist.

Biography

The son of a lawyer of Clermont, his studies led him to theater, where he played a few years under the name Bernard-Valville, before trying to playwriting with some success. Arrived in Paris in 1795, he presented his plays in several Parisian theaters. But the career of arms attracted him: he accompanied General Decaen to Pondicherry and Mauritius Island when the latter became governor, and continued his career in France until the collapse of the Empire. The cloudy period following the Hundred Days encouraged him to return to Maurice Island where he was appointed deputy headmaster of the College Port-Louis, then professor of rhetoric. He would return to Paris only to die there.
Jacques Bernard, also a military and poet died in 1842, was his twin brother.
His plays were presented on the most important Parisian stages of his time including the Théâtre de la Gaîté and the Théâtre Feydeau.

Works