ERCKMANN-CHATRIAN

erckmann-chatrian, the joint names of two french writers whose collaboration made their work that of, so to speak, one personality. emile erckmann (1822-1899) was born on the 20th of may 1822 at phalsbourg, and louis gratien charles alexandre chatrian (1826-1890) on the 18th of december 1826 at soldatenthal, lorraine. in 1847 they began to write together, and continued doing so till 1889. chatrian died in 1890 at villemomble near paris, and erckmann at luneville in 1899. the list of their publications is a long one, ranging from the _histoires et contes fantastiques_ (1849; reprinted from the _democrate du rhin_), _l'illustre docteur matheus_ (1859), _madame therese_ (1863), _l'ami fritz_ (1864), _histoire d'un conscrit de 1813_ (1864), _waterloo_ (1865), _le blocus_ (1867), _histoire d'un paysan_ (4 vols., 1868-1870), _l'histoire du plebiscite_ (1872), to _le grand-pere lebigue_ (1880); besides dramas like _le juif polonais_ (1869) and _les rantzau_ (1882). without any special literary claim, their stories are distinguished by simplicity and genuine descriptive power, particularly in the battle scenes and in connexion with alsatian peasant life. they are marked by a genuine democratic spirit, and by real patriotism, which developed after 1870 into hatred of the germans. the authors attacked militarism by depicting the horrors of war in the plainest terms. see also j. claretie, _erckmann-chatrian_ (1883), in the series of "celebrites contemporaines."