History

Gabriel de Rougemont was born in Paris on the 4th November 1850. His parents are an unlikely couple: both maths students; his mother is a free-thinking radical, originally from Russia, who moved to Paris for her studies, and his father is the ultra-Catholic heir of a noble family, destined to become a viscount.

The couple separates before Gabriel reached the age of three, and his education is taken over by his paternal grandparents. Despite the separation, Gabriel still manages to see his mother.

Gabriel grows up quite isolated: there are mostly adults around him, and he rarely gets to see other children, a private tutor is responsible for his education, and his social awkwardness and lack of interest in sports prevent him from finding friends elsewhere. So he mostly grows up with books.

His interest in reading inspires two of the most important interests of his life: writing and politics. Through writing, he manages to express himself, mostly through short stories, as he never managed before and politics becomes the way he connects to people, for it somehow seems to be the only way he manages to have meaningful conversations as a young man.

At university, he joins several political clubs, where he discovers another one of his talents: public speaking. He quickly starts to identify with anarchism and several of his speeches include references to collectivisation, anti-authoritarianism, localism, free public education, the rights of illegitimate children and the inclusion of women into public life. His mother is a great supporter and major source of inspiration of his activism.

By the time the Franco-Prussian war rolls over, in 1870, Gabriel's family wants him to either enlist or leave the city for safety, but Gabriel refuses and, escaping active duty thanks to some forged documents, he manages to stay in town and witness the misery of the siege of Paris. Because his ideas never lead him to fully renounce his social status, he even takes part into the famous "zoo banquet".

When civil war ensues, he is there together with his comrades. He is there the day Paris declares itself an independent commune and gets to vote its first and only election. Only 20 by this point, he is neither famous enough nor prominent enough to get elected himself, but he takes an active role in social life: he participates in public debates, volunteers and helps to build barricades in face of the many enemies the Commune has. This is also the point in which he starts to write newspaper articles and journals, in addition to his short stories.

The Paris Commune's life is, however, very short, and terminates with a famous massacre, which Gabriel barely escapes by hiding in a tomb in the Père Lachaise cemetery, while his comrades gets slaughtered.

Charged with treason and condemned to the capital punishment, like so many others, Gabriel is forced to feel France with his mother. Their chosen destination is England because of its lax policy regarding political refugees. So they join the many thousands sailing to their London exile in 1871. They will remain for a decade, until the amnesty for the Communard will allow them back in France.

During his London years, Gabriel supports himself and his mother via writing, though his focus shifts: he works as a secretary a lot, since he is a talented stenographer, and writes articles for some minor journals. Their income is rather low, but they make it work thanks to the community of refugees that surround them.

His new circumstances inspire Gabriel to try some new things and among these, he finds his particular talent: in 1872 he writes his first play. While the play never gets staged, the experience of creating it is a revelation for Gabriel, who will, from that point on, write several plays per year.

In 1873 his first short story gets published, without particular success. He continues to write despite the apparently inescapable obscurity.

It is only in 1878, as Gabriel meets Ferdinand Fredersdorf, a recently exiled Prussian socialist, that things change.

Ferdinand is a little older and a lot more experienced than Gabriel. He is also very respected in their circle and can vouch for him. The two quickly begin a passionate affair in which the lines between work and private life are very blurred. That same year, Gabriel finally manages to have his first play represented. That same year, he also begins to write in English.

In 1879 Ferdinand hires Gabriel as a part-time secretary. The salary he offers him is enough for him to leave all his other jobs behind and focus on his theatrical career. Two more of his plays are stage in 1880, including one in English. His name begins to be known in town.

After breaking up with Ferdinand in 1881, Gabriel reconciles briefly with his grandparents and he and his mother go back to Paris. 

It is in his paternal home that Gabriel meets Valerie Bardèche, an older, wealthy widow who takes an interest in his work and in him. Strong of her patronage and her affection, Gabriel finds his fortune in the French theatre very quickly.

By 1882, Gabriel is the raising star of French theatre. His anarchist ideals do not stop him from joining the decadent lifestyle of the rich, just like his well established relationship with the powerful madame Bardèche doesn't stop him from engaging into a myriad of affairs with both men and women. The scandals that ensue only increase his popularity in the public eye.

In 1883, he has a child out of wedlock with Anaïs Bourgeois, an aspiring actress who he had originally cast in his play. He hardly meets the child, fearing the rage of his official mistress, with whom he now lives. 

Between 1883 and 1887 Gabriel reaches the zenith of his success. Neither his extreme political views, which he still expresses openly, nor his many messy relationships seem to decrease his fame or popularity. He manages to amass a wealth sufficient to acquire several properties and ensures his -now disapproving- mother's stability by gifting her a flat. There are rumours of him running for office.

In early 1888 scorned lover and former political disciple, a chemist by the name of Gaston Marcellin, builds and plants a bomb in a governmental building, wounding several people. He arranges the attack so that his former lover Gabriel gets blamed for it.

Forced to act quickly, Gabriel flees to England with little to nothing in his bag. By some odd coincidence, on the boat to London, he meets Anaïs once again, together with the son he has been neglecting for the next five years. He lands for the second time in England with even less hope of ever being back and a family to tend to. And because of that, he needs to succeed now more than ever.