Blouet, Paul, 1848-1903

French author "Max O'Rell."

Paul Blouet (1848-1903) was a French humorist and writer best known by his pseudonym, Max O'Rell. Blouet studied piano at the Paris Conservatoire, was educated in Paris at the Ecole Polytechnique, and served as a cavalry officer in the Franco-Prussian War. In 1887 Blouet published John Bull et son ile, a work that parodied English characteristics and eccentricities. In 1887 and 1890 Blouet lectured in the United States, where his humorous speeches made him extremely popular. In 1902 he settled in the Champs-Élysées quarter of Paris as correspondent of the New York Journal and wrote in the French newspaper Le Figaro . Blouet died of stomach cancer on 24 May 1903.

Works Cited: Seccombe, T. and Matthew, C.G. (2004). Blouet, (Leon) Paul. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved July 24, 2006 from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31933