Auguste-Michel-Benoît Gaudichot pseudonym: Michel Masson (31 July 1800 – 12 thermidor an VIII-Archives reconstituées de la Ville de Paris, fiche 31/37 – 23 April 1883) was a French playwright, journalist and novelist of the 19th century.
Biography A worker's son, he began acting at age 10 and played the roles of children in several plays. He was danser at the Théâtre Monthabor, but he had only little success. So he stopped as a danser, and took a job as an apprentice in a bookshop. There he saw other starting authors like M.Champfleury. Masson liked reading books, and he started writing too. But he did not like the commercial side of his job. He worked a time as a café waiter. Masson started writing articles for newspapers, the quality of his work was recognized, and articles of his hand were published in newspapers like Les Nouveautés, the Mercure de France and La Lorgnette. (journal des théâtres, de la littérature, des arts, des moeurs, des modes et de la librairie, pour Paris, les départemens et l'étranger)catalogue.bnf.fr La Lorgnette : journal des théâtresgallica/bnf.fr La Lorgnette : journal des théâtres He was asked to join the redaction of Le Figaro, where he collaborated until 1831.
His plays were presented on several Parisian stages of the 19th century, including the Théâtre du Vaudeville, the Théâtre des Variétés, the Théâtre des Nouveautés, the Théâtre du Gymnase, the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, and the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin.
Masson was the name of his mother: Nicole Agnès Masson.1862 edition, Les Contes de l'Atelier, Paris, Librairie de l. Hachette et Co.: Hommage respectueux a la chère memoire de Nicole Agnès Masson, Ma mère He also wrote under the pseudonym Michel Raymond, when working with Raymond Brucker, and authored, among others, several novels, including some for children.
Long before he started writing for theater, Michel Masson had established his reputation as a writer of novels. His roman debut was received with high praise by the critics. It was written in cooperation with Raymond Brucker, Le Maçon (1829, 4 vol. in-12) and published under the pseudonym Michel Raymond. The merger of both their first names. But in those days Brucker also worked with the less known Léon Gozlan on another book: Les Intimes. And riding on the success of Le Maçon Brucker also used the name Michel Raymond for this book. Michel Masson made no objections to this, but thereupon he ended any cooperation with Brucker. To take advantage of the pseudonym himself, Michel first published two volumes of Daniel, le Lapidaire, ou les Contes de l'Atelier (1832-1833) also under the name Michel Raymond. They had a great success, and vol 3 and 4 he published under his own name: Michel Masson. Most of the stories of this bundle were later edited for the theatre.P. Larousse, Dictionnaire du XIX Siècle, Tome 10, L-MEM, 1873, KB Den Haag, LZ Ency. 15.LAG.
On 18 February 1824, Michel Masson married Françoise Deliége. Of this marriage 5 children were born, but only one survived. After a 47-year long marriage Françoise died February 1871. Shortly after this, April 1873, Michel Masson remarried with Clémence Hadingue, the daughter of an actress, and at the age of 74, he was again a father. Reason enough for Mr. Hippolyte Masson - the son from his first marriage - to start a lawsuit in which he claimed, as heir of his mother, his legacy. (Mostly the money he expected of all the books and other publications of his father) The verdict was in favor of the son.gallica.bnf.fr Le Rappel 16 January 1878
His 1834 novel "Un Cœur d'une Jeune Fille" drew the ire of Edgar Allan Poe, who attacked it for being too 'suggestive' in the "Democratic Review" (1844, vol.17 issue 78, pg 583). His 1831 novel Le Grain de Sable inspired Multatuli writing his play Vorstenschool or School of Princes (1872).Josef Steas: Schrijvers en navolgers in: De Vlaamsche School, 1880Dr. H. De Leeuwe, Multatuli het drama en het Toneel, 1950
Works
1828-1829 1828: Le Maçon. mœurs populaires, Michel Raymond (Michel Masson and Raymond Brucker), edition A. Dupont et Cie (Paris) (4 vol.; in-16) 1828Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-61599 ark:/12148/bpt6k5865013r 1829: Les cuisiniers diplomates, one-act comédie en vaudevilles, Rochefort, Barthélemy and Masson, first performance at the Royal Theatre, in Berlin, April 1829, edition: Schlesinger, Berlin 1829Delpher.nl Les cuisiniers diplomates 1829: Le Tir au pistolet, comédie en vaudevilles in 1 act and 2 tableaux, with Charles Adolphe 1829: Le garde de nuit ou Le bal masqué, comédie en vaudevilles in 3 acts, with Mélesville 1829: Frétillon, ou la Bonne fille, comédie en vaudevilles in 1 act, with Philippe Dumanoir 1829: Le Procès du baiser, comédie en vaudevilles in 2 acts
1830-1834 1830: À-propos patriotique, Villeneuve and Masson, premiered in Paris, at the Théâtre des Nouveautés, 2 August 1830, edition: Riga (Paris), (12 p.; in-8) 1830Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, 8-YTH-36 ark:/12148/bpt6k5814575w 1830: Le Collège de *** ou Souvenirs de la Suisse en 1794, comédie en vaudevilles 1831: Les Pilules dramatiques ou le Choléra-morbus, revue critique et politique in 1 act 1831: Le grand prix ou Le voyage à frais communs, opéra comique in 3 acts, music by Adolphe Adam 1831: Daniel, le lapidaire, ou les Contes de L'atelier, four volumes 1831: first edition: vol 1 & 2 under the pseudonym Michel Raymond, vol 3 & 4: Michel Masson 1833: third edition: 4 volumes signed Michel Masson, story bundle: (1) La femme du Réfractaire, Une Mère, La Complainte (2) La Maitrise, l’Enseigne, Le Grain de Sable, (3) l’Inévitable, Annah l’Hébétée, (4) La Fabrique, Un nom à tout prix, Les deux Rois. The plot of the play "Vorstenschool" (1870) or "School for Princes" of Multatuli is almost entirely derived from the novel "Le Grain de Sable" (the grain of Sand).See Wikipédia page in Dutch2005, Multatuli, Vorstenschool, Drama in vijf bedrijven en in negen edities, kritische tekst-uitgave, met verantwoording en een inleiding in de drukgeschiedenis, 174 blz. Geneve, Ecomusee VoltaireJosef Steas, "Schrijvers en navolgers", dans: "De Vlaamsche School", 1880lettre a Conrad Busken-Huet2009, Over Multatuli, jrg. 31, p.87-103, 63.4, J.T.W.A.Cornelisse: "Een Zandkorrel in het Raderwerk, Michel Massons Le grain de Sable als inspiratiebron" 1832: Mon oncle Thomas,P. Larousse, Dictionnaire du XIX Siècle, Tome 10, L-MEM, 1873 1832: Les Deux frères, comedy by Kotzebue, translated by Joseph Patrat, remise in 2 acts and in vaudeville 1832: Atar-Gull, melodrama in 3 actes and 6 tableaux, after the roman of Eugène Sue, by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Masson, First performance at the Théâtre L'Ambigu-Comique, 26 April 1832, edition: Barbré (Paris) (15 p.: fig. au titre; in-4) 1872Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, 4-YTH-243 ark:/12148/bpt6k62260693*1832: La ferme de Bondi, ou Les deux réfractaires : épisode de l'Empire in 4 acts, Gabriel de Lurieu (1795?-1869), Ferdinand de Villeneuve and Michel Masson, First performance at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 5 May 1832, edition: [J.-N. Barba] (P. 95-118; in-4) 1838Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, YF-1120 (6) ark:/12148/bpt6k5742350b 1832: Le Bateau de blanchisseuses, tableau-vaudeville in 1 act, Villeneuve, Masson et Charles. First performance in Paris at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 11 June 1832, edition: Marchant (Paris) (In-8°, 28 p. ) 1832Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, 8-YTH-1790 ark:/12148/bpt6k6124734f 1833: Thadéus le Ressuscité, histoire originale et sombre (2 vol. in-8°) with Auguste Luchet;P. Larousse, Dictionnaire du XIX Siècle, Tome 10, L-MEM, 1873 1836: edition: A. Dupont (Paris) (2 vol. in-8°) 4th edition, 1836Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-51884 ark:/12148/bpt6k5808762x 1844: edition: Boulé (Paris) (1 vol. (224 p.); gr. in-8) Les mille et un romans. t. 4Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-53485 ark:/12148/bpt6k96122908 1833: Quatre époques de la vie de S.A.R. Madame, duchesse de Berry, suivies des Protestations et adresses de toutes les villes de France en faveur de Son Altesse Royale, by Michel Masson, second edition. Dentu (Paris) 1833Bibliothèque nationale de France ark:/12148/bpt6k5855048pgallica.bnf.fr Quatre époques de la vie 1834: Deux Histoires à propos d'un livre, Michel Masson (Michel Raymond), edition : Roux (Paris) (In-8°, XXIII-370 p., fig.) 1834Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-16554 ark:/12148/bpt6k56573765 1834: La paysanne demoiselle : vaudeville in 4 acts, Xavier Saintine, Michel Masson. First performance, Paris : in the Théâtre des Variétés, 13 March 1834, edition : Hautecoeur Martinet (Paris) 1834Bibliothèque nationale de France ark:/12148/btv1b6400533r 1834: Le triolet bleu : comédie-vaudeville in 5 acts, Michel Masson and Ferdinand de Villeneuve. First performance, Paris : in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 15 May 1834Bibliothèque nationale de France ark:/12148/btv1b8405803m 1834: Le mari de la favorite, comedy in 5 actes, Saintine and Michel Masson. First performance, Paris : Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin, 04-11-1834,catalogue.bnf.fr Le mari de la favorite 1834: La Paysanne Demoiselle, comédie en vaudevilles in 4 acts 1834: L'aiguillette bleue, historical comédie en vaudevilles in 3 acts. Michel Masson with Ernest Jaime, Achille d'Artois, First performance in Paris in the Théâtre des Variétes, 19 April 1834, edition: Marchant (Paris) (20 p.; gr. in-8) 1834Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, 4-YTH-69 ark:/12148/bpt6k6358941t 1834: Un Cœur de Jeune Fille, Confidence publiée par Michel Masson. (novel) 1834: Bruxelles, Meline (VIII, 300 pages) 1834: Paris, C. Allardin, (VIII-384 p. : pl.; In-8°)Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-51889 ark:/12148/bpt6k58105747 1845: Paris, Boule Et Cie, in: Les mille et un romans, nouvelles et feuilletons. tome 11
1835-1839 1835: Micheline, ou l'Heure de l'Esprit: opera-comique in 1 act, Saint-Hilaire, Masson and Devilleneuve; music by: M. Adolphe Adam, First performance in Paris in the Théâtre royal de l'Opéra-Comique, 29 June 1835, edition: Marchant (Paris) and A. Jouhaud (Brussels) (1 vol. (15 p.); Gr. in-8) 1835Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, YF-442 (2) ark:/12148/bpt6k56003756 1835: On ne passe pas ! ou, Le poste d'honneur, comédie en vaudevilles in 1 act 1836: Picciola, with Joseph Xavier Saintine with an introduction by Michel Masson.Kb.nl 587 F 33 1836: Le Diable amoureux, comédie en vaudevilles in 1 act 1836: Vierge et Martyre, Michel Masson, edition: Werdet (Paris) (2 vol. in-8°) 1836Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-51899 ark:/12148/bpt6k61228167 1836: Madame Favart: vaudeville in 3 acts, mingled with song, Michel Masson and Saintine. First performance in Paris in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 26 December 1836, edition : Hautecoeur Martinet (Paris) 1836Bibliothèque nationale de France ark:/12148/btv1b6400089d 1838: Les deux Pigeons, comédie en vaudevilles in 4 acts, imitated from La Fontaine, Masson et Saintine, First performance, Paris, in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 05-06-1838Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Arts du spectacle, 4-ICO THE-3214 ark:/12148/btv1b8405826m 1838: La levée des 300,000 hommes: comedie en vaudevilles in 1 act, Xavier [Boniface] and Michel Masson, First performance in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 27 November 1838, edition Marchant (Paris) (16 p.; gr. in-8) 1839Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, YF-456 (14) ark:/12148/bpt6k5701372h 1838: Albertine, Michel Masson, edition: Werdet (Paris) (2 vol. in-16) 1838Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-51822 ark:/12148/bpt6k6135851w
1840-1844