Author: MARCHAL, Charles.
Title: Cri de Misere.
Description: Paris, Levy 1848. Octavo, folded but unstitched; 16pp. Some marks and signs of use. ¶ I spent too much time trying to distentangle Charles Marchal - former political prisoner, republican of old, hungry for tomorrow (self described on the title) - from Charles Francois Marchal painter of almost identical dates. Just when I had it pinned down I saw the portrait of political prisoner Marchal by Nadar in the BNF and the portraits of Marchal, painter, and couldn't pick them apart. But any overweight Frenchman with swirling moustache and goatee could be a stand in. Then we have the references assigning this to Charles Marchal, writer born some years after 1848.What we do know is that Marchal's passion for liberty, equality and fraternity had been tested and strengthened in the monarchy's prisons but the cry of misery is that of the starving people betrayed by the revolution and the republic. Sixteen pages wasn't enough: Cri de Guerre and Cri de Liberte followed soon.

Keywords: social science political economy revolution reform c19th France