Madeleine-Angélique Poisson de Gomez (1684–1770)

Madeleine-Angélique Poisson de Gomez was born in Paris to a theatrical family. Her parents were the actors Paul Poisson and Marie-Angélique Gassaud Du Croisy, and her grandfather was the comedien and author Raymond Poisson. She married Don Gabriel Gomez, a well-born Spanish gentleman, and supported them by her writings, which were originally published under his name. She also wrote under the pseudonym MPVDG. She was a prolific author and produced a very large number of novels, plays, and short stories over a period of about 22 years. Her earliest works included the tragedy Habis (1714), which is still in the repertoire of the Comédie Française. She published bestsellers such as Journées amusantes (1722) and Les Cent nouvelles nouvelles (1731-1739), which were also translated into other languages. Widowed in 1737, Madame de Gomez remarried at some point to a man named Bonhomme, an event that seems to coincide with the end of her literary career. She retired before 1764 to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a popular retreat for old actors and in particular the Poisson family.