Fembio Special: Famous Lesbians
Lucie Delarue-Mardrus
born on November 3, 1874 in Honfleur, France
died on April 26, 1945 in Château-Gontier, France
French writer
150th birthday on November 3, 2024
Biography
The wedding of the daughter of a lawyer, Lucie Delarue, to the well-known orientalist Dr. Mardrus was a social scandal - the young bride was married in her cycling clothes. Her husband called her the Almond Princess in praise of the almond-toned beauty of her body, and he was not initially at all bothered by her affection for Natalie Barney, the famous lover of women who had broken many hearts in Paris. The marriage later ended in divorce, but the two women were to remain close friends even after their romantic relationship had ended.
Lucie Delarue-Mardrus was one of the most important Parisian contacts for Natalie Barney when the American writer moved to France in 1902; she introduced her to Paul Valéry and André Gide. She also discovered the house in rue Jacob where Barney would hold her famous Friday salons and where she founded the Académie des Femmes, thereby creating one of the “most productive female subcultures of the 20th century” (Alexandra Busch). Delarue-Mardrus was at the center of this women's network from the very beginning and would regularly present her latest literary work at the Parisian salon.
Like many of the mostly aristocratic and/or wealthy friends in the Paris-Lesbos circle, she worked as a hospital driver during the First World War and took part in the Women's Congress for Peace that was held in the house in rue Jacob.
Her artistic activity was extraordinarily intense and varied; she published her first volume of poetry at the age of 21. This was followed by short stories, plays (The Desperate Sappho) and many novels, including L'Ange et les Pervers (The Angel and the Perverts), in which she created a literary monument to Natalie Barney and other women in the circle. Lecture tours took her halfway around the world; she made music, drew, sculptured, and restored works of art; she published her memoirs. She suffered greatly during WWII and the last years before her death were characterized by material hardship.
(Text from 1994; translated with DeepL.com; edited by Ramona Fararo, 2024.
Please consult the German version for additional information, pictures, sources, videos, and bibliography.)
Quotes
While Liane de Pougy, Eva Palmer, Colette and Renée Vivien had embodied her (Natalie Barney's) ideal of a very feminine woman, Lucie Delarue-Mardrus, Elizabeth de Gramont, Romaine Brooks, Janet Flanner, Dolly Wilde, Radclyffe Hall, Una Troubridge and Janine Lahovary belonged to another generation who felt free enough to dress, express themselves, smoke and behave like men, and who fought heterosexual values by aping them. (Shari Benstock)
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