Catherine Bernard (2) (1662–1712)

Catherine Bernard was born into a comfortable Huguenot family in Rouen. She began writing as a child and at age 18 moved to Paris to pursue a literary career. She frequented the salons of ladies such as the duchesse de Bouillon and Antoinette Deshoulières. In 1685, at age 23, she converted to the Roman Catholic faith and was well-known enough by that time to have received notice in the Mercure Galant. Catherine Bernard wrote four historical novels, a short story, and two verse plays, all of which were well-received in her own time and continue to be appreciated for their style and psychological depth. Her popular 1690 tragedy "Brutus" was revived by the Comédie-Française in 1973. Her tale, "Riquet à la houppe" preceded Charles Perrault's more famous version, and is often likened to "Beauty and the Beast." The Académie française awarded her several prizes for poetry in the 1690s, and she was elected a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Ricovrati of Padua.