Diplomat, archaeologist, philanthropist and literary critic
Notable works
The Russian Novel (1886)
Marie-Eugène-Melchior, vicomtede Vogüé (25 February 1848 – 29 March 1910) was a French diplomat, Orientalist, travel writer, archaeologist, philanthropist and literary critic.
His connection with the Revue des deux mondes began in 1873 with his Voyage en Syrie et en Palestine, and subsequently he was a frequent contributor. He did much to awaken French interest in the intellectual life of other countries, especially of Russia, his sympathy with which was strengthened by his marriage in 1878 with a Russian lady, the sister of General Michael Nicolaivitch Annenkoff; De Vogüé was practically the first to draw French attention to Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Many consider de Vogüé's essay to be the first major examination of the novelist's work.[4]
Eugène-Melchior was also a brother-in-law of Karl de Struve, Russian Ambassador to Japan, the United States, and the Netherlands.
He became a member of the Académie française in 1888. His uncle, Melchior de Vogüé, also served in the academy concurrently for a few years.
Blaze de Bury, Yetta (1898). "Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé." In: French Literature of Today. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Company, pp. 133–155.
Seillière, Ernest (1938). "Eugène Melchior de Vogüe et les Problèmes Sociaux du Temps Présent." In: Le Naturalisme de Montaigne et Autres Essais. Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Critique, pp. 135–182.