Sue, Eugène (1804-57). Celebrated French popular novelist. After a short spell as a naval surgeon in 1827, Sue took up the life of a literary dandy in Paris. His early works were sea novels (especially Atar-Gull, 1831). He was one of the first exponents of the roman-feuilleton, initially focusing on novels of fashionable life. It was when he turned his melodramatic and Romantic talents to low life that he achieved enormous success. Les Mystères de Paris ran from June 1842 to October 1843. It had France's roman-feuilleton readers on the edge of their seats. In this novel Sue set the pattern for modern mass fiction, with its super-heroes, its obsession with criminality, and its irresistible blend of the fantastic and the mysterious. His work became a precious commodity for newspapers eager to boost and retain their circulation figures. Le Juif errant (1844-5) and Les Sept Péchés capitaux (1847-8) followed the early successes. Sue became increasingly drawn to humanitarian and socialist causes. He was elected a député in 1850, but was forced into exile in 1851. His last big success was Les Mystères du peuple (1849-57). The Imperial Government promptly banned the publication of the complete work.
[Brian Rigby]
