Musset, << myoo SAY, >> Alfred de (1810-1857), was a French dramatist and poet. Most of his plays were meant to be read rather than performed on stage. Musset is best known for a series of comedies of manners. These works, known collectively as Comedies et Proverbes, reflect a witty, poetic style and deep insights into human behavior. His plays deal with the pain of love and with the conflict between innocence and cynical sophistication. Musset’s Lorenzaccio (1834) was a historical drama set in Florence, Italy. It was first staged in 1896.
Musset was born on Dec. 11, 1810, in Paris. He believed that poetry should express the innermost feelings of the writer and that suffering is essential for the creation of good literature. Among his most famous poems are Nuits (Nights), published between 1835 and 1837. They describe his sorrow after the end of his love affair with the famous woman writer George Sand. Musset died on May 2, 1857.
