Jean-Baptiste Cousin de Grainville
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste François Xavier Cousin De Grainville (April 3, 1746, Le Havre
, France
– February 1, 1805, Amiens
, France) was a French
writer
who wrote a seminal work of fantasy
literature: Le Dernier Homme
(The Last Man) (1805). This was the first modern novel to depict the end of the world.
The son of an army staff officer, de Grainville was destined for the priesthood, like his brother, who became Bishop of Cahors
. After attending school in Caen, he attended the Lycée Louis-le-Grand
in Paris. De Grainville was ordained a priest in 1766 but left the priesthood during the French Revolution. He committed suicide in 1805 and his novel was published posthumously.
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– February 1, 1805, Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, France) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who wrote a seminal work of fantasy
Science fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
literature: Le Dernier Homme
Le Dernier Homme
Le Dernier Homme is a French science fantasy novel in the form of a prose poem. Written by Jean-Baptiste Cousin de Grainville and published in 1805, it was the first story of modern speculative fiction to depict the end of the world. Considered a seminal early work of science fantasy, specifically...
(The Last Man) (1805). This was the first modern novel to depict the end of the world.
The son of an army staff officer, de Grainville was destined for the priesthood, like his brother, who became Bishop of Cahors
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cahors
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cahors, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church, in France. The diocese comprises the whole of the department of Lot....
. After attending school in Caen, he attended the Lycée Louis-le-Grand
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
in Paris. De Grainville was ordained a priest in 1766 but left the priesthood during the French Revolution. He committed suicide in 1805 and his novel was published posthumously.