Evariste Désiré de Forges, Chevalier (and later) Vicomte de Parny (1753-1814) was chiefly known for his erotic writings. In 1802 he obtained a seat in the Académie Française. Chateaubriand wrote in 1813 "Je savais par coeur les élégies du chevalier de Parny, et je les sais encore", while the young Pushkin was mad about him ("Quand il entra au lycée, il écrit à peine sa langue maternelle, mais il est nourri de Voltaire, il raffole de Parny et d'autres sires de cette espèce"-- Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé, Le roman russe, Paris 1886 p. 46). In 'Eugene Onegin' Pushkin parodied him (III.25) and referred to him as "tender Parny" (III.29). The present work sums up Parny's reputation in his own time as the exemplar of elegant libertinism, though he was later regarded more as a scandal-monger