Mme Clairon, the Haunted Actress and Her Tragic Lover
It is extraordinary how Elizabeth Craven seemed to get to meet all the most famous, or in some cases, infamous, people of her time. The French actress Hyppolite Clairon is another example. Craven knew her well - only too well as at one time they were rivals for the same man. Born Claire Josèphe Hyppolite Leris, into a humble family, the actress's performances in classical tragedy created a storm of success from the very first time she appeared at the Comédie Francaise. She excelled at performing the lead roles in the plays of Racine, Corneille and Voltaire. Voltaire was living in Paris at the time and became one of her most ardent admirers. She adapted her first name into a stage name "Clairon" which means a clarion call, very suitable for someone who was not shy of the limelight! In her old age she published her Memoirs, which included the singular story of how she had been haunted by the ghost of a disappointed lover. The story was alread...