Alphonse Daudet, a child of Nîmes
Heavily inspired by his hometown, discover Nîmes through the works of the writer
A great French author
Alphonse Daudet was a nineteenth-century French writer and playwright. He is known for his many literary works such as his collection Les Lettres de mon moulin (1869) and his short story L’Arlésienne (1869). His work spans novels, short stories and plays.
Panorama des monuments de Nîmes (1852) by Lithographie de DhombresNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
Beneath the Midi Sun
"I was born on May 13, 1840, in a city in Languedoc, where there is, as in all the cities of the South, a lot of sun, a lot of dust, a Carmelite convent and two or three Roman monuments. " Alphonse Daudet, Le Petit Chose, 1868
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Sabran, Daudet's birthplace
Alphonse Daudet was born on the second floor of this bourgeois house, known as Sabran, just like his brother Ernest. His family was originally from the Cévennes and settled in Nîmes at the end of the eighteenth century, and they based their business activities on manufacturing and marketing silks.
Vue de la Porte Auguste, dans « La France de nos jours » (1865) by Lithographie de AsselineauNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
His childhood
The writer's childhood was marked by his walks in Nîmes around Roman monuments: "As a child, I played hopscotch under the Porte Auguste, by the ossicles in the Arenas or on the steps of the Temple of Diana. " Lucien Daudet, Vie d'Alphonse Daudet, 1941
Maison Villaret
"[...] in Nîmes, when I was very small, my treat, my indulgence, something extra exquisite whose memory still tickles my mucose membrane, was two sous of croûtes de muraille in a white cone from Villaret the pastry chef. " Letter from Alphonse Daudet to his friend Paul Mariéton
Ferrade organisée à l’occasion de la visite de l’empereur le 30 septembre 1852 (1852) by D’après un dessin de RevoilNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
Les Arènes
Les Arènes (the Arenas) were an important place for Alphonse Daudet, who managed to glimpse moments of bullfighting in his youth.
"In the fiery afternoon sun, the mirage of forbidden pleasure, they looked at what little they could see through the heavy walls, a glimpse of a circus, the legs of bullfighters wearing glowing stockings, [...]
[...] the beast's furious hooves, the dust of the fight flying away with the cries, the laughter, the bravos, the bellowing, the roar of the full monument. " Alphonse Daudet, Numa Roumestan, 1881
Nismes – Flavell by Rouargue, gravé par LarbalestrierNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
Jardins de la Fontaine
There followed walks in the Jardins de la Fontaine: "I dreamed of staying there all day, like a lizard, drinking in the light, listening to the pine trees sing. " Alphonse Daudet, Les lettres de mon moulin, 1869
Vue de la Tour Magne (1865) by Dessinée et lithographiée par AsselineauNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
Tour Magne
"I had four pages of French history to recite the next day. I needed to know them by heart. It was Thursday: I decided to go and learn them up there at the Tour Magne. " Batisto Bonnet, Le Baïle Alphonse Daudet, 1911
Le Mazet by Armand CoussensNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
The Maset
As was customary in Nîmes, the Daudet family owned a maset located in the commune of Courbessac: "It had a vineyard, a small property located at the gates of the city, among the masets scattered in the garrigues, [...]
[...] all roasted by the sun, and which offered us no other shelter than a trellis kiosk, where we dined with the family during the summer evenings after spending long hours eating œillade and clairette grapes. " Ernest Daudet, Mon frère et moi, 1882
Monument à Daudet Carte postale éditée par Guende à Marseille (1908) by Editée par Guende à MarseilleNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
Square de la couronne
When he was 9 years old, his family moved to Lyon, where he continued his studies before joining the Collège d'Alès. In 1858, he joined his brother Ernest in Paris and became a columnist for newspapers. A renowned poet, novelist and playwright, he died in 1897 at the age of 57.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the City of Nîmes called on the sculptor Alexandre Falguière to create the statue of Alphonse Daudet, as a tribute to the famous writer from his hometown. The statue would be installed in the center of the park's pond.
Le lycée Daudet (1910) by Editée par Garnier à NîmesNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
Lycée Alphonse Daudet
At the beginning of Boulevard Victor Hugo, the rotunda at the corner, adorned with a large clock, is the symbol of the Lycée Alphonse Daudet. Formerly a hospital, known as the "hospice d'humanité", the building became a secondary school for boys in 1881.
La construction du lycée de garçons 14 juin 1884 (1884) by A. DupuyNîmes, Ville d'art et d'histoire
As there was not yet an educational institution at the time of Alphonse Daudet, he did not study there. The name of the illustrious writer from Nîmes was given to it in 1966.
Creation: City of Nîmes, Centre d'interprétation de l'architecture et du patrimoine https://nimesartethistoire.fr/
Images: © City of Nîmes
