Sarah

Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786-1859), born in an artisan's family, was poor much of her life. Her arrival with her mother in the French Caribbean coincided with the outbreak of rebellion among the black population. After her mother's death, Desbordes-Valmore returned to Europe, where she worked as an actress and eventually made her name as a Romantic poet. Deborah Jenson is professor of French and Romance Studies at Duke University. She is also director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Her specialties include French studies and Caribbean studies. Doris Y. Kadish is professor emerita of French and Women's Studies at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include women writers and nineteenth-century French literature.