Laclos - Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos

French author. Born into a minor noble family in Amiens. He showed an interest in mathematics from a young age and enrolled at the École de La Fère, where the children of the bourgeoisie studied. In 1763 he became a lieutenant in the artillery. However, with the end of the Seven Years' War, his path to military glory was closed, and he moved around from place to place as a garrison soldier. During the Directory period, his talent was recognized, and he became an artillery general, and he died in Taranto, Italy. The material for his novel Dangerous Liaisons was obtained while he was stationed in Grenoble (1769-73), and he wrote it from the summer of 1780 to the fall of the following year, and it is believed that he completed it during his second vacation in Paris (late 1781 to May 1782). Since 1783 he had been intimate with a woman named Duperré, and after having a child with her, he married her in 1786. During the Revolution, he became secretary to the Duke of Orléans, and after the flight to Varennes, he plotted the downfall of the King, but was imprisoned in Picpus during the Reign of Terror, and was released after the Thermidor. Laclos wrote several poems, opera librettos, and a book called "On the Education of Women," but his name was immortalized only by one novel, "Dangerous Liaisons." Some say that the novel is the fruition of the revenge of a good father and husband, while others say that he was a Freemason leader in the military.

[Yuji Ueda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

フランスの作家。アミアンの小貴族の家に生まれる。若いころから数学に興味を示し、ブルジョアの子弟の学ぶラ・フェール学校に入学。1763年に砲兵隊少尉となった。しかし、七年戦争終結とともに、彼の軍人としての栄光の道は閉ざされ、駐屯兵として各地を転々とした。総裁政府期に才能を認められ、砲兵隊将軍となり、イタリアのタラントで客死した。小説『危険な関係』の素材はグルノーブル駐屯時期（1769～73）に得られ、80年夏から翌年の秋にかけて執筆、二度目のパリ休暇（1781年末から82年5月）のおりに完成されたと推定される。83年以来デュペレなる女性と親しく交わり、一児をもうけたのち86年に結婚している。大革命期にはオルレアン公の秘書となり、バレンヌ逃亡以後の国王失墜を策すが、恐怖政治期にピクピュスに監禁され、テルミドール以後釈放された。ラクロは数編の詩、オペラ台本、『女子教育論』などを書いているが、一編の小説『危険な関係』によってのみその名を不朽にした。小説は、よき父親、夫であった彼の復讐(ふくしゅう)の結実とする見方、また彼が軍隊内のフリーメーソン幹部であったという説もある。

［植田祐次］

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