About Jean Grave
Lived 1854 – 1939 (aged 85). Jean Grave was a French journalist, anarchist, anarcho-communism, editor, publisher and author.
Jean Grave (; October 16, 1854, Le Breuil-sur-Couze – December 8, 1939, Vienne-en-Val) was an important activist in French anarchism and the international anarchist communism movements. He was the editor of three major anarchist periodicals, Le Révolté, La Révolte and , and wrote dozens of pamphlets and a number of important anarchist books.
In 1893 Grave wrote La société mourante et l'anarchie, prefaced by Octave Mirbeau, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison. Mirbeau, like Élisée Reclus, Paul Adam, and Bernard Lazare had testified on Grave's behalf, but to no avail. The trial only popularised the book, which was rapidly translated into German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Yiddish. An English translation by Voltairine De Cleyre appeared in 1899.
Grave was acquitted in the "Trial of the thirty".
From 1895 to 1922 Grave was the editor of Les Temps nouveaux, which was influential in literary and artistic circles of the time. Many well-known artists (such as Aristide Delannoy, Maximilien Luce, Paul Signac, Alexandre Steinlen, Théo van Rysselberghe, Camille Pissarro, Kees van Dongen, Charles Angrand, Henri-Edmond Cross, George Willaume, etc.) illustrated and helped to finance the review.
In 1914 Grave joined Kropotkin in England, and incurred the wrath of anti-war anarchists by signing the Manifesto of the Sixteen, which supported the allies during World War I.
Grave also wrote Le Mouvement libertaire sous la IIIe république.
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Important facts
People in Jean Grave's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jean Grave's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jean Grave?
French anarchist (1854–1939)
When was Jean Grave born?
Jean Grave was born on 16 October 1854 in Le Breuil-sur-Couze.
When did Jean Grave die?
Jean Grave died on 8 December 1939 in Vienne-en-Val.
What was Jean Grave's occupation?
Jean Grave was a journalist, anarchist, anarcho-communism, editor, publisher and author.
What nationality was Jean Grave?
Jean Grave was French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jean Grave. https://biography.guide/jean-grave/
MLA: "Jean Grave." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jean-grave/.
Chicago: "Jean Grave." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jean-grave/.
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