Caprices d'un Bibliophile

Octave Uzanne

Octave Uzanne (French pronunciation: [ɔktav yzan]; 14 September 1851 – 31 October 1931) was a 19th-century French bibliophile, writer, publisher, and journalist. He is noted for his literary research on the authors of the 18th century. He published many previously unpublished works by authors including Paradis Moncrif, Benserade, Caylus, Besenval, the Marquis de Sade and Baudelaire. He founded the Société des Bibliophiles Contemporains, of which he was president. His research produced a considerable literary output and frequent publications in newspapers such as L'Echo, Le Plume, La Dépêche de Toulouse, Le Mercure de France, Le Gaulois and Le Figaro of Paris. One of the topics his research focused on was the discussion of fashion and femininity in the French fin-de-siècle. This took the form of monographs and works including Son Altesse la femme (French for Her Highness Woman), Féminies and La Française du siècle (The Frenchwoman of the Century). His own works include novels and fantasy books, such as Surprises du Coeur and Contes pour les bibliophiles (Tales for bibliophiles).