Friedrich Schiller ; [signé par le traducteur] Pitre-Chevalier - Romans de Schiller - 1838

This work is a particularly interesting collectible for bibliophiles, bearing witness to the literary and journalistic networks of the Romantic period.

It is the collection of Schiller's Romances published in 1838. It brings together several famous tales and short stories by the German author Friedrich von Schiller, notably: The Ghost-Seer (Der Geisterseher), The Generous Lovers, The Criminal for a Lost Honor, The Game of Fate, and The Duke of Alba.

Pitre Chevalier (born Pierre-Michel-François Chevalier, 1812-1863) was a Breton writer, historian and journalist. He was notably the editor-in-chief of the renowned Musée des familles. His translation of Schiller's prose remained a reference at the time.

The book is dedicated to Baron de Barante (Prosper Brugière, baron de Barante, 1782-1866). It is a highly strategic and respectful choice: Barante was a great diplomat, historian, peer of France, a member of the Académie française, but above all one of the first promoters of German Romanticism in France thanks to his own acclaimed translation of Schiller's Dramatic Works.

The recipient of the book: Mr. Bertin. This is very likely Louis-François Bertin (known as Bertin the Elder, 1766-1841) or his son Armand Bertin (1801-1854). The Bertin family ran the powerful Journal des débats, one of the most influential political and literary dailies of the 19th century.
In offering this copy to “Mr. Bertin,” Pitre Chevalier performed an act of courtesy and crucial promotion. He sought to obtain a favorable review (a “critique”) in the newspaper’s columns to ensure the success of his translation.