Men of the Time, eleventh edition/Assollant, Jean-Baptiste-Alfred
ASSOLLANT, Jean-Baptiste-Alfred, a French author, born at Aubusson Creuse in 1827, entered the Normal School in 1847, and quitted it in 1850. After acting as Professor for some years, he left the university and visited the United States. On his return to France he contributed to the Revue des Deux Mondes an article upon "Walker and the Americans;" and published two novels, "Acacia" and "Les Butterfly." In 1858 he published what he termed une fantaisie américaine, under the title of "Scènes de la Vie des États-Unis." In 1859 he published "Deux Amis en 1792," and "Brancas;" in 1860, "La Mort de Roland " and "Histoire fantastique du célèbre Pierrot;" in 1861, "Les Aventures de Karl Brunner, docteur en théologie," and "Marcomrir, Histoire d'un Etudiant;" in 1862, "Jean Rosier," and "Rose d'Amour." Many of his romances appeared in La Presse, Le Journal pour Tous, and other periodicals. In consequence of the tone of some of his articles in the Courrier du Dimanche, that journal was suspended for two months in August, 1864, and received a warning in March, 1865. M. Assollant has collected his principal articles under the titles "D'Heure en Heure;" "Vérité! Vérité!" and "Pensées diverses, Impressions intimes, Opinions et Paradoxes de Cadet Bordiche." He also published two interesting pamphlets, "À Ceux qui Pensent encore" in 1861, "Canonniers, à vos Pièces!" in 1862, and "Rachel," a romance, in 1874. At the general election of 1869 he stood as a candidate for the fifth circonscription of Paris, but only succeeded in polling ninety-three votes.