Gilbert Lely
Illustration — Gilbert Lely Gilbert Lely (19 March 1904 - 4 June 1985) was a French poet and writer. He is best known for his biography of the Marquis de Sade.
Gilbert Lely
- Full name
- Gilbert Pierre Raphaël Lévy.
- Born
- 1904. · 12th arrondissement of Paris.
- Died
- 1985. · 17th arrondissement of Paris.
- Nationality
- France.
- Occupation
- poet, writer and literary critic.
- Fields
- poetry and literary criticism.
- Languages
- French.
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Illustration — Gilbert Lely Gilbert Lely (19 March 1904 - 4 June 1985) was a French poet and writer. He is best known for his biography of the Marquis de Sade.
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wikidata · Q982019 · wikipedia · Gilbert Lely
In this article
Personal life
Personal life
Lély was born Pierre Raphaël Gilbert Lévy on 19 March 1904 in Neuilly-sur-Seine and died on 4 June 1985 in Paris. During World War II, he was friends with René Char.
Writing
Writing
In the 1930s he was part of the surrealist movement and was admired by André Suarès, André Breton and Yves Bonnefoy. His first book Les Métamorphoses (1930) was a translation of Ovid. He also published a translation of a twelfth-century Anglo-Norman poem, La Folie Tristan, in 1954. His poetry collections include Arden (1933), La Sylphide ou l’Étoile Carnivore (1938), and his most significant collection, Ma Civilisation (1942). His best known work is the biography, Vie du Marquis de Sade (1952-1957). Based on previously unpublished manuscripts provided to Lely from the family archives by Xavier Henri Marie de Sade, the book "changed the whole course of Sade studies". Lély took over the task of publishing Sade's works from Maurice Heine. The complete edition (1962–64) also includes previously unpublished correspondence. Lély wrote about the history of medicine in the journal Hippocrates. His late work consists of L'Épouse Infidèle (1966) and the dramatic poem Solomonie la Possédée (1979).
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12th arrondissement of Paris.
Birth place
17th arrondissement of Paris.
Death place
Primary material
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reference work
- “Gilbert Lely”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q982019: Gilbert Lely
General reference · Wikidata
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,582 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Gilbert HighetAuthor
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- Gilbert Percy WhitleyAuthor
- Gilbert PhelpsAuthor
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