Mademoiselle Giraud, My Wife

Adolphe Belot (1829-1890) was a French novelist and playwright. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, Belot was raised in Le Havre, where he followed in his father's footsteps to become a lawyer. After joining the board of lawyers of Nancy, Belot traveled to the Americas, where he became inspired to pursue a career as a professional writer. After writing several successful plays, including Le Testament de César Girodot (1859), Belot published the novel Mademoiselle Giraud, My Wife (1870). An immediate commercial and critical success, the novel earned Belot a reputation as a leading popular writer in France and around the world.