Louise Victorine Ackermann

Louise Victorine Ackermann (1813-1890), French poet known for her melancholy verse. Born Louise Victorine Choquet in Paris, France, she was reared in the French countryside, near Montdidier. Her father undertook her early education, and in 1829 she was sent to a school in Paris. In 1838 she went to Berlin, Germany for one year to study German. On another visit to Berlin in 1843, she met and married Paul Ackermann. Two years later he died, and she moved to Nice, France, settling there until her return to Paris in 1874.

Ackermann’s poetry was first published in 1874, in the French periodical Revue des Deux-Mondes. It met with some acclaim, but also with considerable criticism for its atheism and its pessimistic outlook. Her works include Contes en vers (Verse Stories, 1855); Premières poésies (Early Poetry, 1863); Poésies philosophiques (Philosophical Poetry, 1874); and Pensées d'une solitaire (Thoughts of a Recluse, 1883), which included a short autobiography.