François Guillaume Ducray-Duminil

Born in Paris, from 1790 onward, Ducray-Duminil was the literary editor of Les Petites Affiches where he was known for the great forbearance of his reviews.

A member of several literary societies, most notably of the Société du Caveau, he wrote poetry and lyrics as well as a few plays that were never produced.

Worried about the moral message of his works, he saw to it that virtue and innocence should prevail after a series of ingenious twists in the plot.

In Les Misérables Victor Hugo refers to his works as "stupid romances" which the favourite reading of Madame Thénardier.

Critics ridiculed his style and syntax, but he mainly aimed at clarity, an essential quality considering the type of audience he was addressing.

in-12), L'Hermitage Saint-Jacques ou Dieu, le Roi et la Patrie, (Saint James's Hermitage ; or For God, King and Country) 1815, etc.