Claude Dufresne (1920–2011)

I didn't actually finish this, but I finished the section of Liane, and read a bit of the one on Emilienne.

This was my first serious attempt at reading in French in about...8 years or so? It was very slow going, and I had to look up words a lot, but I was impressed about how much I did understand.

From what I got out of this book, it was very good. I'm especially glad the author included Emilienne d'Alencon, because despite the fact that she is one of the 'Three Graces', most books just include a paragraph or so on her where they mention 1) she had a stage act with rabbits which were dyed pink and 2) The Duc d'Uzes ruined himself over her and got shipped off to the tropics, where he died at 23. Rarely they will mention the fact that she was Renee Vivien's lover for a while. She and Liane also had an affair, according to this book.

More than Emilienne, I find it odd that no biography of Liane de Pougy has ever been written in English. Or at least translated. (Heck, the biography Jean Chalon wrote was even translated into Japanese!) Most English language books on French courtesans focus on the Second Empire (La Paiva) and the only Belle Epoque courtesan who is ever mentioned is La Belle Otero. Maybe because she had a thing with Vanderbilt? You'd think that Liane, who was actually called "Our national courtesan" would merit some English-language books of her own!… (meer)

I didn't actually finish this, but I finished the section of Liane, and read a bit of the one on Emilienne.

This was my first serious attempt at reading in French in about...8 years or so? It was very slow going, and I had to look up words a lot, but I was impressed about how much I did understand.

From what I got out of this book, it was very good. I'm especially glad the author included Emilienne d'Alencon, because despite the fact that she is one of the 'Three Graces', most books just include a paragraph or so on her where they mention 1) she had a stage act with rabbits which were dyed pink and 2) The Duc d'Uzes ruined himself over her and got shipped off to the tropics, where he died at 23. Rarely they will mention the fact that she was Renee Vivien's lover for a while. She and Liane also had an affair, according to this book.

More than Emilienne, I find it odd that no biography of Liane de Pougy has ever been written in English. Or at least translated. (Heck, the biography Jean Chalon wrote was even translated into Japanese!) Most English language books on French courtesans focus on the Second Empire (La Paiva) and the only Belle Epoque courtesan who is ever mentioned is La Belle Otero. Maybe because she had a thing with Vanderbilt? You'd think that Liane, who was actually called "Our national courtesan" would merit some English-language books of her own!… (meer)

Depuis quelque cent cinquante ans l'opérette apporte au peuple de France le sourire et l'évasion dont il a si souvent besoin. D'Offenbach à Maurice Yvain, d'Hervé à Christine, de Lecocq à Messager, de Vincent scotto à Francis Lopez, de merveilleux musiciens se sont efforcés de nous faire voir la vie en rose, avec la complicité d'auteurs tels que Ludovic Halévy, Meilhac, de Flers et Caillavet, Marc Cab ou Raymond Vincy.
Une belle histoire richement illustré de 95 documents dont 33 en couleurs : photographies, parfois inédites, affiches, programmes... Et de nombreux refrains...
Claude Dufresne est lui-même auteur de vingt-cinq livrets d'opérette et producteur d'émissions sur le sujet tant pour la radio que pour la télévision. 272 opérettes évoqués de A l'aimable Sabine de Louis Beydts à Yes de Maurice Yvain... Tous les grands noms sont là : Marcel Merkès et Paulette Merval, José Todaro, Annie Cordy et Bourvil, Georges Guétary, Rellys, Yvonne Printemps, Nicky Nancel, Albert Willemetz, Armand Mestral, Maurice Chevalier, Franz Lehar, Hervé, Maurice Baquet, Mady Mesplé, Yvan Rebroff... Ainsi que les grands théâtres : Châtelet, Gaïté-Lyrique, Variétés, Mogador, Renaissance, Palais-Royal, Bouffes-Parisiens...
Et les plus grands : Luis Mariano et Francis Lopez !… (meer)