Origins & Early Life

Antoine de Rivarol (26 June 1753 – 11 April 1801) was a French royalist writer and translator who lived during the Revolutionary era. He was briefly married to the translator Louisa Henrietta de Rivarol. Rivarol was born in Bagnols, Languedoc. It appears that his father, an innkeeper, was a cultivated man.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The son assumed the title of comte de Rivarol, asserting a connection with the noble Italian family Riveroli, although his enemies said his name was really "Riverot" and that he was not of noble stock. He went to Paris in 1777 and won several academic prizes. In 1780 he married Louisa Henrietta de Rivarol, a translator of Scottish descent. She had translated some works by Samuel Johnson and Johnson had become a friend of her family. Antoine Rivarol abandoned his wife after a short relationship which resulted in the birth of a son.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

To Rivarol's embarrassment, a nurse who supported his abandoned wife was awarded the Montyon Prize for her humanity. He was divorced in 1784. In 1784, his Discours sur l'Universalité de la Langue Française and his translation of Dante's Inferno were favourably noted. The year before the French Revolution broke out, he and Champcenetz published...

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