Jean de La Brète

Jean de La Brète (pen name of Alice Cherbonnel; 1858–1945) was a pseudonymous French writer of novels for young women. Her best-known work,, went through several editions and was adapted to stage and screen.

Early life Alice Cherbonnel was born in Saumur, 13 December 1858 to a Norman father and a Angevin mother. She descended from a lineage of French storytellers.

Career La Brète's novels were commentaries on contemporary society. Le Roman d'une croyante, L'Impossible, and Un Mirage dealt with the religious problems that agitated France in La Brète's era. Her most popular work was Mon oncle et mon curé, the autobiography of a young girl who reveals to the reader her thoughts, dreams, and aspirations. It was awarded the Prix Montyon in 1890 by the Académie française, and was constantly republished until 1977. This novel was adapted for the cinema in 1938. Mon oncle et mon curé was considered to be a work of great educational value, cleverly and agreeably disguised as a work of fiction.

La Brète's style was characterized as clear and vivid; her stories are vigorous and highly colored; her conclusions are generally shown by the plot itself rather than by a series of speeches.

Personal life In the winter, she lived in a Parisian apartment on the Boulevard des Invalides. In the summer, she lived on her estate in Anjou, an estate that belonged to her mother's family for more than a century. Her library was installed in the tower above the chapel of the manor, a description of which was contained in her Badinage. 1895 : Prix Montyon, Académie française, for Un vaincu

Selected works

1889 : Mon oncle et mon curé (text) 1891 : The Story of Reine, Or, My Uncle and My Curé, translated by Mrs. J. W. Davis (text) 1890 : Le Comte de Palène (text) 1892 : Le Roman d'une croyante 1893 : Un vaincu (text) 1894 : Badinage (text) 1897 : L'Esprit souffle où il veut 1897 : L'Imagination fait le reste 1900 : La Solution 1903 : Conte bleu 1904 : Un réveil 1905 : L'Impossible 1906 : Un mirage 1908 : Illusion masculine 1909 : Aimer quand même 1910 : Vieilles Gens, Vieux Pays 1910 : L'Appel des souvenirs 1911 : Rêver et vivre 1911 : Âmes inconnues, notes intimes d'un séminariste [Auguste Merlet] 1912 : Un obstacle 1914 : L’Aile blessée 1917 : Un caractère de Française 1920 : Les Deux Sommets (text) 1923 : Le Rubis 1924 : La Solitaire 1926 : Les Reflets (text) 1928 : La Source enchantée 1930 : Une lumineuse clarté 1931 : Un conseil 1933 : Les Gardiens 1936 : Les Tournants 1938 : Frédérique ou Un caractère parisien 1939 : Péripéties

Adaptations Film 1938 : [Mon oncle et mon curé, French film directed by Pierre Caron, with André Lefaur, Annie France, Paul Cambo and René Génin

Theatre 1935 : Mon oncle et mon curé, comedy in 3 acts by Lucien Dabril, based on the novel of Jean de La Brète. Performed in Paris, Cercle les Jeunes des Ternes, 30 April 1935 1939 : La Source enchantée, comedy in 4 acts Lucien Dabril, based on the novel by La Brète. Rennes, created by the company Le Manteau d'Arlequin, 22 January 1939