Canonical name: Michel, Louise
Other names: Enjolras
Red Virgin of Montmartre
Clémence
Birthdate: 1830-05-29
Date of death: 1905-01-10
Gender: female
Education: Brevet de capacité de l’instruction primaire (primary shool teacher's certificate)
Occupations: political activist
teacher
anarchist
memoirist
essayist
feminist
Relationships: Clemenceau, Georges (friend)
Short biography: Louise Michel sometimes used the pseudonym Clémence. She was nicknamed the Red Virgin of Montmartre for her revolutionary politics and participation in the Paris Commune of 1871. She fought on the barricades and treated the wounded. Following the fall of the Commune, she was tried by the French government and sentenced to deportation for life. In 1873, she was sent to the colony of New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific. There she was eventually allowed to work as a teacher of the indigenous people and the children of colonists. In 1880, she received a pardon and returned to Paris. She published political articles and essays, worked on relief efforts for poor and striking workers, and gave public lectures throughout Europe, advocating revolution. She was arrested again and sentenced to six years of solitary confinement. Following her release, she again travelled around France giving lectures on behalf of anarchism. Many of her lectures and writings have been collected and republished in book form.
Nationality: France
Birthplace: Vroncourt-la-Côte, Haute-Marne, France
Places of residence: Vroncourt-la-Côte, Haute-Marne, France
Paris, France
Nouméa , New Caledonia
Audeloncourt, Haute-Marne, France
Clefmont, Haute-Marne, France
Marseille, France
Place of death: Marseille, France
Burial location: Cimetière de Levallois-Perret, France
Associated Place (for map): France

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6 reviews

bookonion 250 reviews

Defiance: Anarchist Statements Before Judge and Jury by Louise Michel

I've been arrested quite a few times in my life; some political, some not so political, and some in the middle. One time I even took my case to trial, just to find another way to confirm my beliefs that the US legal system is a sham. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary and consistent breaking of rules by the prosecutor (to which the judge simply instructed the jury to pretend it didn't happen), me and my co-defendants were found guilty after less than 15 minutes of deliberations. show more Still, I enjoyed getting called as a witness and sparing with the prosecutor, and—because the judge wouldn't let me read a statement—blurting random stuff out in order to cause a disturbance. A co-defendant from that case, and one from another case bought me this book, which makes me even more excited to read it.

Defiance is full of statements given by anarchists who were on trial for various “crimes,” from the late 19th century up until just a few years ago; from Europe to the US. Some of them were people I've heard of who were on trial for events that I've read about, and some were rad folks who have been arrested in my lifetime. There are even a couple who I have exchanged letters with while they were being held captive. None of them felt any remorse for the things they were charged with. All of them were different levels of inspiring with their words.

In my experience there are two main types of anarchist writing: there are the writings that light a fire under asses, that lay out the way things are and the way they should be in such a clear, concise way that one can't help but be charmed; and there is the heavy, dense theory that also has a place on radical bookshelves, but is a tad bit less accessible. Defiance is the former, for sure. For the past ten days I've woken up every morning and allowed the words of dozens of bad ass human beings slide into my psyche like my first cup of coffee slides down my throat, and like the coffee it got my days started in the best possible ways.

If I have to pick something out that I didn't love, it would probably be the fact that a lot of them went into too much detail about their crimes. It's like they forgot they were in a courtroom. But, hey, who am I to judge? I'm sure most people featured in this book would have a lot of criticisms about the way I handled my trial. show less

Aug 13, 2024

raton-liseur 1,685 reviews

Contes et légendes by Louise Michel

J’ai appris il y a peu que Louise Michel, outre ses activités révolutionnaires, avait écrit de courts récits. Désirant quelque chose d’un peu plus léger que ma lecture précédente, ce recueil disponible gratuitement en ligne m’a paru une bonne idée pour voir ce que Louise Michel pouvait faire comme écrivaine. En fait, je me suis aperçue que ce n’est pas ce livre que je voulais lire, je voulais des histoires écrites lorsqu’elle était au bagne en Nouvelle Calédonie, show more alors qu’ici il s’agit d’un livre publié quelques années après, et qui sont des petites histoires morales à destination des enfants. Même s’il date d’après le bagne, c’est un livre qui semble écrit par l’institutrice qu’a été Louise Michel plutôt que par l’intellectuelle engagée.
C’est donc une lecture bien gentille, bien morale, on n’est pas loin de la Comtesse de Ségur, mais sans le côté religieux et chez les pauvres gens. Mais il semble qu’il suffise d’avoir de la volonté et l’on peut tout résoudre : la pauvreté dans un village, l’ignorance, l’avarice… Tout cela est très moral et très manichéen. Des nouvelles pour l’éducation des enfants comme je crois qu’on n’en fait plus aujourd’hui.
Un livre à lire pour son intérêt historique, peut-être, pour voir une autre facette, bien moins connue, de Louise Michel. Et il faudra que je lise ce livre de nouvelles canaques en espérant qu’il soit plus original. show less

Jun 22, 2023French

T.VALERO 212 reviews

Vive la Commune ! suivi de La Commune est proclamée et de La guerre civile en France (extraits) by Louise Michel

« Vive la Commune ! »

Ce petit livre de la collection Les Grands Discours aux éditions Points est tout à fait charmant. Il réunit différents discours sur la thématique de la Commune.

On doit saluer les propos introductifs, les quelques notes en bas de page et l’appareillage critique ainsi que la chronologie biographique qui permet un bref rappel du parcours des auteurs en présence.

On appréciera également le texte dans sa version originale. En effet, cette édition bilingue show more présente le grand avantage d’être un outil pédagogique tant pour les professeurs d’histoire que de langue mais aussi une édition de qualité pour les curieux et les savants.

Ce livre permet de mettre dans toutes les poches de grands discours qui ont fait l’histoire et qui sont quelques fois le produit de situations historiques. Ils sont aussi révélateurs de l’esprit des peuples et plus largement de l’humanité entière. On y retrouve quelques fois la marque du temps, le génie d’un homme ou d’une femme illustre ; rarement la bassesse profonde.

Une bonne édition, de qualité et à prix modique ! show less

May 5, 2016French

Joop-le-philosophe 16,478 reviews

A travers la vie et la mort by Louise Michel

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Michel--travers-la-vie-et-la-mort/789990

> Ce recueil de poèmes est excellent. À noter les deux très bons textes de présentation, et un ensemble de notes particulièrement intéressantes. Voilà un ouvrage pertinent.
—Danieljean (Babelio)

Feb 23, 2021 (Edited)French

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