Constant Marie

Constant Marie, known as Le Père Lapurge (17 August 1838 – 5 August 1910) was a French communard, shoemaker, anarchist and poet. He was the author of several popular revolutionary songs.

Constant Marie
1900 portrait
Born	17 August 1838 Sainte-Houvrince, Calvados, France
Died	17 August 1910 (aged 72)
Nationality	French
Occupation	Mason, shoemaker
Known for	Anarchist songs

Early years

Constant Marie was born on 27 August 1838 in Sainte-Houvrince, Calvados.[1] He began work as a bricklayer. He participated in the Paris Commune, and was wounded in the fighting at the Vanves fort.[2]

Anarchist shoemaker and songwriter

Due to his injuries Constant Marie was forced to change occupation to become a shoemaker. He became an anarchist and began to compose revolutionary songs.[2] Within twelve years of the fall of the commune in 1871, Constant Marie's songs had become very popular in some circles.[3] Constant Marie often performed at festivities of anarchist groups. He came to the attention of the police, who searched his house on 1 July 1894 and seized books and the texts of his songs. He was arrested and charged with "membership of a criminal conspiracy." He spent several weeks in the Mazas Prison.[2] As a young man the anarchist, journalist and then Communist activist Fernand Desprès (1879–1949) worked as a shoemaker with Constant Marie.[4]

Constant Marie died on 5 August 1910.[1]

Works

Le Père Lapurge ("Father Purge") was published in 1886 in the Calais anarchist newspaper La Révolte des Affamés. Constant Marie's other well-known songs included Dame dynamite and La Muse rouge. This last gave its name in 1901 to a famous group of revolutionary poets and singers.[2] By 1891 he was also known for Révolté, Jacques normand, Tocsin and Affranchie.[5] His songs continued to be performed in cabarets after the turn of the century.[3]

References

1. MARIE Constant, Maitron.
2. Tatum 2008.
3. Godin 2008, p. 449.
4. Robin 2014.
5. Gegout 1891, p. 179.

Sources

• Gegout, E. (1891). Prison fin de siècle. Charpentier. p. 179. Retrieved 2015-03-10.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Godin, Noël (2008). "Constant Marie". Anthologie de la subversion carabinée. L'AGE D'HOMME. ISBN 978-2-8251-3805-2. Retrieved 2015-03-10.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "MARIE Constant [dit Le Père Lapurge]". Dictionnaire des anarchistes. Maitron. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
• Robin, François Paul (2014-10-25). "Monographie sur "·Fernand, Désiré, Alfred DESPRÉS dit A. Dubois·"". Itinéraire Gaston Couté (in French). (A slightly shorter version of this article was found on 2015-02-03 in the Dictionnaire des militants anarchistes dated 28 February 2007, signed "R.D.", and giving sources.). Retrieved 2015-02-03.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Tatum, Charles (2008-08-02). "Constant Marie, dit Le Père Lapurge". le vieux monde qui n'en finit pas (in French). Retrieved 2015-03-10.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)