Stendal

Stendhal (real name Henri-Marie Beyle) was a French writer.

Henri-Marie Beyle was born on January 23, 1783, in the small French city of Grenoble, in the family of lawyer Chérubin Beyle. Henriette Beyle, the writer’s mother, died when the boy was seven years old. Therefore, he was raised by his aunt Séraphie and his father. Little Henri did not get along with them. Only his grandfather Henri Gagnon treated the boy with warmth and attention. Later, in his autobiography The Life of Henry Brulard, Stendhal recalled: “I was entirely brought up by my dear grandfather, Henri Gagnon. This remarkable man once made a pilgrimage to Ferney to see Voltaire, and was received by him most graciously…” Henri Gagnon was an admirer of the Enlightenment thinkers and introduced Stendhal to Voltaire, Diderot, and Helvétius. From that time on, Stendhal developed a negative attitude toward clericalism. Because Henri, in childhood, encountered the Jesuit Ryan, who forced him to read the Bible, he felt a lifelong horror and distrust of priests.

While studying at the Central School in Grenoble, Henri followed the course of the Revolution, though he probably did not understand the importance of its significance. He studied at the school for only three years, mastering, by his own admission, only Latin. In addition, he was interested in mathematics and logic, studied philosophy, and learned the history of art.

In 1799, Henri went to Paris with the intention of entering the Polytechnic School. But instead, inspired by Napoleon’s coup, he entered the active army. He was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in a dragoon regiment. However, in 1802 he resigned and spent the next three years in Paris, engaged in self-education and studying philosophy, literature, and English. He then served in the commercial department in Marseille, and in 1805 returned to military service. As a military official in Napoleon’s army, Henri visited Italy, Germany, and Austria. On campaign, he found time for reflection and wrote notes on painting and music. He filled thick notebooks with his notes. Some of these notebooks were lost during the crossing of the Berezina.