In 1832 he found his way to Paris, and in 1836 he published two novels, La Couronne de bluets and La Pécheresse. He had many friends in Paris, among them Jules Janin and Théophile Gautier, and he wrote in collaboration with Jules Sandeau. He produced art criticism in L'Histoire de la peinture flamande et hollandaise (1846); semi_historical sketches in Mlle de la Vallière et Mme de Montespan (1860) and Galerie de portraits du XVIII siècle (1844); literary criticism in La Roi Voltaire (1858) and his famous satirical Histoire du quarante et unième fauteuil de l'Académie française (1855); drama in his Comediennes (1857); poetry in his Symphonie des vingt ans (1867), Cent et un sonnets (1873), etc.; and novels, Les Filles d'Eve (1852) and many others.
In 1849, through the influence of Rachel, he was entrusted with the administration of the Theâtre Français, a position he filled with unfailing tact and success until 1859, when he was made inspector-general of works of art.
His Confessions, souvenir; d'un demi-siècle appeared in 1885-1891. See also J Lemaître, Arsène Houssaye (1897), with a bibliography.
Although his stories were dramatizations and his characters were romanticized, his description of daily bohemian life is very similar to that described in the memoirs of his friend, ArseneHoussaye.
ArseneHoussaye lived as a bohemian in his twenties, around the 1830's.
As Houssaye commented, "Inspiration is a goddess who keeps early hours." (Knepler, 33) Sometimes they would try to help inspiration along with opium or hashish, but usually cigars or cigarettes served well enough.
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