Tastu, Amable (1798–1885)
Tastu, Amable (1798–1885)
French poet. Born Sabine Casimire Amable Voïart in 1798 in Metz, France; died in 1885; married; children: one son.
Selected works:
Poésies (Poems, 1826); Poésies nouvelles (New Poems, 1834 or 1835); Le Livre des enfants (The Children's Book, 1836–37); Tableau de la littérature italienne (List of Italian Literature, 1843); Tableau de la littérature allemande (List of German Literature, 1844); Voyage en France (French Travel, 1845).
The poetry of Amable Tastu, who was born Sabine Casimire Amable Voïart in 1798 in Metz, France, has been described as delicate, sentimental, sophisticated, and elevating. She was especially adept at writing elegiac poetry, and also wrote children's stories, educational texts, and literary criticism, and translated Robinson Crusoe into French in 1835. Her poetry led to her friendship with Adelaïde de Dufrénoy when Tastu's "Le Narcisse" (The Narcissus) was published in the Mercure de France (French Mercury) in 1816. Tastu worked in the book trade to support her family after her husband suffered financial problems with his printing business. Following his death, she traveled with her son, a diplomat, on his assignments to Cyprus, Baghdad, Belgrade, and Alexandria. With her sight beginning to fail, she returned to France in 1864.
Karina L. Kerr , M.A., Ypsilanti, Michigan