Serial novelist of The Mysteries of Paris, elected for Paris as a social democrat in 1850
Born in Paris in 1804, the son of a surgeon in Napoleon's army, he served as a surgeon himself in the Spanish campaign of 1823 and at Navarino in 1827, and drew on that for his sea novels. Strongly affected by the socialist ideas of the day, he serialised The Mysteries of Paris (1842–1843) and The Wandering Jew (1844–1845) in newspapers. Showing the intrigues of the nobility and the hard life of the poor, they were hugely popular and made the serial novel fashionable. In the by-election of April 1850 he was elected deputy for the Seine as a republican and socialist. Driven out after protesting against the coup of 1851, he went into exile in Savoy and died at Annecy-le-Vieux in 1857.
Also known as: Marie-Joseph Sue
Activities and affiliations
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1823–1827
French monarchy state institutions
Military command -
1830–1857
Literature and arts
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1850–1851
Legislature and state representation
Career Timeline
- 1823Army surgeon in the Spanish campaign
- 1827Surgeon at Navarino
- 1842–1843Serialised The Mysteries of Paris
- 1844–1845Serialised The Wandering Jew
- 1850–1851Deputy for the Seine
- 1851–1857Exile in Savoy