Goncourt, Edmond de and Jules de, known as the Goncourt Brothers 1822-96 and 1830-70
French novelists

Born in Nancy and Paris respectively, they were primarily artists, but after collaborating in studies of history and art they turned to writing novels. Their subject was the manners of the 19th century, and the enormous influence of environment and habit upon people. The first of their novels, Les Hommes de lettres (1860, 'The Men of Letters'; new edn as Charles Demailly, 1868), was followed by S?ur Philom�ne (1861, Eng trans Sister Philom�ne, 1890), Ren�e Mauperin (1864, Eng trans 1864 (US); 1887 (UK)), Germinie Lacerteux (1865, Eng trans 1887), Manette Salomon (1867), and Madame Gervaisais (1869), their greatest novel. After Jules's death, Edmond published the extraordinarily popular La Fille �lisa (1878, Eng trans Elisa, 1959), La Faustin (1882, Eng trans 1902) and Ch�rie (1885, 'Darling'). The interesting Id�es et Sensations (1866, 'Ideas and Sensations') had already revealed their morbid acuteness of sensation, and La Maison d'un artiste (1881, 'An Artist's House') had shown their love for bric-�-brac. In the Lettres de Jules de Goncourt (1885) and in the Journal des Goncourt (9 vols, 1888-96) they revealed their methods and their conception of fiction. Various translations of these have been made, including The Journal of the De Goncourts (1908), Paris under Siege, 1870-1871 (1969), and Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, with letters and leaves from their journals (1894). Edmond, in his will, founded the Acad�mie Goncourt to foster fiction with the annual Prix Goncourt.

Bibliography: R B Grant, The Goncourt Brothers (1972); A Billy, La vie des Fr�res Goncourt (1956)