Siméon-Prosper Hardy
French printer and bookseller
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Siméon-Prosper Hardy (1729 – 1806) was a French printer and bookseller who is known for writing a detailed journal about daily life and events in 18th-century Paris, from 1753 to October 1789.[1][2] Hardy's journal, called Mes loisirs, ou journal d'événemens tels qu'ils parviennent à ma connaissance (transl. My Leisures, or a journal of events as they come to my knowledge), consists of 4100 folio pages and is considered a seminal historical record of pre-revolutionary France.[2]
- Printer
- Bookseller
Siméon-Prosper Hardy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1729 Paris, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 1 April 1806 (aged 76–77) Paris, First French Empire |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Keeping a detailed journal of daily life in 18th-century Paris |
| Notable work | Mes loisirs, ou journal d'événemens tels qu'ils parviennent à ma connaissance |
Biography
Siméon-Prosper Hardy was born in 1726 in Paris and likely spent his entire life on the Rive Gauche (transl. Left Bank), living on Montagne Sainte-Geneviève and Rue Saint-Jacques at different times.[3] His father was a lawyer in parlement and advisor to the king, and his mother was the daughter of the rector of the University of Paris.[4] He was a Jansenist.[5] His position in society placed him squarely in the Parisian bourgeoisie.[4][6]
Hardy started his journal Mes loisirs in 1753 when he was a bookseller's apprentice, and he originally wrote journal entries in ledgers intended for his bookstore, La Colonne d'Or.[2]
He became a master bookseller on 15 May 1755.[1] In June 1771, he was appointed Deputy Syndic of the guild of booksellers.[3] In April 1789, he participated in the National Assembly and represented the Third Estate of the Estates-General during the start of the French Revolution.[7]
Journal
Mes loisirs includes Hardy's observations of daily life, anecdotes, and excerpts from documents that he transcribed and cited from 1753 to October 1789.[2] It also consists of rumors that he learned from his servant, who was able to go to places that Hardy himself could not,[8] as well as information he gathered from his in-laws and their social circles.[4] Despite the liberalization of news during his lifetime, there was still censorship that made it necessary to learn scandalous political information by word-of-mouth.[8]
His journal is contemporary to Edmond Jean François Barbier's Chronique, which was written between 1718 and 1763.[2]
