Paul Bocage

Who was Paul Bocage?

Paul Auguste Tousez, known as Paul Bocage, was a French librettist, novelist and dramatist.

Nephew of the famous 19th century actor Bocage, he first wrote, under the collective pen name "Désiré Hazard", with Octave Feuillet, who had been his classmate at College Louis-le-Grand, the novel Le Grand Vieillard, Échec et mat, a comedy in five acts, played at the Odeon in 1846, Palma, ou la Nuit du vendredi saint, a drama in five acts, played at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in 1847, La Vieillesse de Richelieu, a comedy in five acts, played the Comédie-Française in 1849 ; York, a comedy-vaudeville, played at the Palais-Royal in 1852.

Paul Bocage also wrote, jointly with Joseph Méry, Maître Wolframb, a libretto for the Théâtre Lyrique, and, jointly with Théodore Cogniard, Janot chez les Sauvages, a vaudeville in one act, played at the Théâtre des Variétés.

He also attributes a share in Le Chariot d'enfant, a drama in five acts, by Méry and Gérard de Nerval and Alexandre Dumas's Romulus, Les Mariages du père Olifus et Les Mille et un fantômes.

Bocage wrote as well novelty items under the title of "Bric-a-Brac" in Le Mousquetaire. The authorship of Les Mohicans de Paris, a long novel serialized in that publication is attributed to him too. Finally, he published in 1860 les Puritains de Paris and la Duchesse de Mauves.