Séverine Fraisse became known as a Vendôme author with her first work devoted to the Montoire meeting in October 1940 between Hitler and Pétain. After The shadow of a handshakeshe will publish very soon Pierre de Ronsard, once upon a time there was a poet from Vendôme.
A general public work
More than a year of work, on a character who turned out to be much more complex than she imagined. Especially since the author’s ambition is to offer a book intended for the general public. « Most of the books written about Ronsard are the works of scholars, who rely on the poems to support historical facts. However, the poems being written in old French sometimes lose the reader who is not already immersed in this era. », explains the author. An initiatory book of sorts, which will allow us to discover Ronsard and which will encourage readers who wish to go further: « At the end of the chapters, I offer readers suggestions for exploring the subject in more depth, poems to read, references to consult, etc. »
The book will address several important themes of the poet’s life: love, nature, origins, politics, religion, final years and memory. “Ronsard’s life is so rich that it was necessary to make choices and cross-reference a good deal of information, because everything we can learn about him often varies from one author to another. His date of birth for example, some place it on September 2, 1524, others on September 11 of the same year. But in his poems, Ronsard also blurs the lines of his year of birth, sometimes 1528, sometimes 1525… In the same way, we question the reality of his trip to Italy. A certainty for some, but others claim that he was ill at the time of the events, Séverine Fraisse still has fun. This is often due to the calendar of the time which started the year on the 1stis April, while ours begins on the 1stis January. “ Other enigmas that the historian had to look into were the names of the women in the poet’s life. « Ronsard has always, out of delicacy or pure malice, sowed doubt as to their identities. A common practice at that time. »
It is therefore with great humility that Séverine Fraisse has untangled the many threads of this fascinating biography, recalling that the historian often works on changing realities, which vary according to the different testimonies and the interpretations of previous biographers.
Announced in July, the book will be sold for around €15. To contact the author: [email protected]
