Marie Nizet
Encyclopedia
Marie Nizet married name Marie Mercier, was a Belgian
writer.
into a literary family. She was a student at Isabelle Gatti de Gamond
's secondary girls' school (Cours d'Éducation pour jeunes filles). Her father, employed at the Royal Library of Belgium
, had published patriotic poetry and works on history and librarianship. Her brother Henri was to become a journalist and novelist.
Nizet developed an interest in Romania
, perhaps due to the influence of émigrés and students who lodged with the family. Her first poetic works were published in 1878, written during the Romanian War of Independence
and before the Congress of Berlin
secured Romania's independence, expressed her support for the Romanians and her opposition to Russia
's attempts to dominate Romania. Her early work met with some success but her literary career was to be short, ending in 1879 when she married.
Her marriage ended in acrimonious divorce and Nizet was left to raise her son alone. Following her death at Etterbeek
in 1922, her son found a collection of love poems, dedicated to Nizet's late lover Cecil Axel-Veneglia, which were published the following year as Pour Axel to critical acclaim.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
writer.
Life
Marie Nizet was born in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
into a literary family. She was a student at Isabelle Gatti de Gamond
Isabelle Gatti de Gamond
Isabelle Laure Gatti de Gamond was an Italo-Belgian educationalist, feminist, and politician.Isabelle Gatti was the second of four daughters born to Giovanni Gatti, an Italian artist, and feminist writer Zoé de Gamond, of Brussels...
's secondary girls' school (Cours d'Éducation pour jeunes filles). Her father, employed at the Royal Library of Belgium
Royal Library of Belgium
The Royal Library of Belgium is one of the most important cultural institutions in Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Dukes of Burgundy...
, had published patriotic poetry and works on history and librarianship. Her brother Henri was to become a journalist and novelist.
Nizet developed an interest in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, perhaps due to the influence of émigrés and students who lodged with the family. Her first poetic works were published in 1878, written during the Romanian War of Independence
Romanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war, following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire...
and before the Congress of Berlin
Congress of Berlin
The Congress of Berlin was a meeting of the European Great Powers' and the Ottoman Empire's leading statesmen in Berlin in 1878. In the wake of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, the meeting's aim was to reorganize the countries of the Balkans...
secured Romania's independence, expressed her support for the Romanians and her opposition to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's attempts to dominate Romania. Her early work met with some success but her literary career was to be short, ending in 1879 when she married.
Her marriage ended in acrimonious divorce and Nizet was left to raise her son alone. Following her death at Etterbeek
Etterbeek
Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek....
in 1922, her son found a collection of love poems, dedicated to Nizet's late lover Cecil Axel-Veneglia, which were published the following year as Pour Axel to critical acclaim.
Select bibliography
- Moscou et Bucharest (1877)
- Pierre le Grand à Jassi (1878)
- România (chants de la Roumanie) (1878)
- Le Capitaine Vampire (1879)
- Pour Axel de Missie (1923)
- Wouters, Liliane & Alain Bosquet (eds), La poésie francophone de Belgique (1804–1884) (1985)
Translations
- Linkhorn, Renée & Judy Cochran (eds), Belgian women poets: an anthology (2000)
- Shapiro, Norman R. (ed.), French Women Poets of Nine Centuries: The Distaff and the Pen (2008)
- Stableford, Brian (adapted by), Captain Vampire (2007)
External links
- Nizet's România at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...