On December 22, 1823, Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre was born in the village of Saint-Ren in Provence, France. In the following years, Fabre spent time at his grandparents' house in Maraval, not far from the village. At that time, as a young man, he was already attracted by the lovely insects such as butterflies and grasshoppers in the countryside. At the age of seven, Fabre returned to Saint-Réne to start school, but those childhood years have always been deeply etched in his heart.
In 1833, the Fabre family came to Rodez, and his father made a living by running a cafe. Four years later, the family moved to Toulouse. Fabre entered the seminary in Toulouse, but dropped out midway and went out to make a living. He worked on the railway and sold lemons in the market. Later, he passed the selection examination for the Normal School of Avignon, received a scholarship, and after three years of study received a diploma from higher education.
After graduation, Fabre, who was nineteen years old, began his teaching career in Cabentela, teaching a course on the history of natural sciences.
In 1849, he was appointed physics teacher in Ajaccio, Corsica. The island's beautiful natural scenery and rich species ignited his passion for studying plants and animals. The botanist Le Guin of Avignon imparted his knowledge to him. After that, he followed Mokan Tangtong to collect flower and plant specimens. This knowledgeable and talented teacher laid a solid foundation for Fabre to later become a naturalist and embark on the path of scientific research?
In 1853, Fabre returned to mainland France, was employed at a school in Avignon, and moved his family into a simple house on Dyer Street in the Saint-Dominique neighborhood. In 1857, he published "Observations on the Habits of the Arthroplasty". This paper corrected the erroneous views of Léon Dufour, the founder of entomology at the time, and won praise from the French Academy and was awarded the Prize for Experimental Physiology. . During this period, Fabre also devoted his energy to the research of the natural dye madder or alizarin. The red color on the French soldiers' military trousers at that time came from madder powder. In 1860, Fabre received three patents for such research.
Later, Fabre was invited by Victor Druid, the Minister of Education of the Republic of Korea, to be responsible for the organization and teaching of an adult night school, but his free teaching methods aroused the suspicion of some people. dissatisfied. So he quit his job and settled down with his family in Orange, where they stayed for more than ten years.
In more than ten years, Fabre completed the first volume of "Insects" which later became ten volumes. During this period, he went to Wandu Mountain with his friends many times to collect plant specimens. In addition, he also met the British philosopher Mill, but Mill died young, and the plan they hatched, the "Vaucluse Vegetation Grand View," died prematurely. At the same time, a great misfortune befell Fabre: he had six children. Among them, the only son Jules, who had the same interests as his father and loved observing nature, passed away at the age of sixteen. After that, Fabre dedicated several plants he discovered to Jules, who died young, to express his memory.
The study of fungi has always been one of Fabre's hobbies. In 1878, he wrote many wonderful academic articles on the subject of fungi in Vaucluse. He also studied the wild rice in great detail and described its aroma in detail. Gourmets claim that they can taste all the flavors he described from real wild rice.
In his later years, the success of "Insects" earned Fabre the reputation of "Homer of the Insects" and "Poet of Science", and his achievements were widely recognized by society. Although Fabre received many scientific titles, he remained as simple as ever, shy and humble, and lived a life of poverty. His talent was admired by literati and scholars at that time, including British biologist Darwin, 1911 Nobel Prize winner for literature - Belgian playwright Maeterlinck, German writer Junger, French philosopher Bergson, poet Ma Latin American and Provence writers Roumanier and others.
Because "Insects" accurately recorded Fabre's experiments and revealed many secrets about insect life and living habits, Darwin called Fabre an "inimitable observer." When he lived in Selignan, many scholars and writers came to visit him. Fabre received scholars such as Pasteur and the British philosopher Mill in his residence, but his correspondence with them was not frequent. Victor Druid, Minister of Education of the Republic of China, recommended Fabre to Napoleon III, who awarded him the Order of Honor. French politician Raymond Poincaré was passing through Selignan and made a special detour to pay his respects to the Stone Park.
Fabre, who had multiple identities, wrote a wide variety of works: as a naturalist, he left many academic treatises on plants and animals, including "Madder: Patents and Papers" and "Animals of Avignon" , "Gooseberry", "Toadstools on the Olive Tree", "Phylloxera", etc.; as a teacher, he has written many chemical physics textbooks; as a poet, he has written many poems in Provence in southern France. , affectionately known as the "Gadfly Poet" by the locals. In addition, he also translated the works of some Provence poets into French; in his spare time, he also used his small harmonica to compose some ditties.
However, "Insects" is still the longest, most important, and most well-known of Fabre's works. This work not only demonstrates his talents in scientific observation and research and literary talent, but also conveys his humanistic spirit and incomparable love for life to readers.
Darwin’s theory of evolution is one of the “three major discoveries of natural science in the 19th century.” The 19th century was the century when “natural selection and survival of the fittest” became popular. Fabre made this untimely sound. It was the spirit of seeking truth that gave him courage.
The 2 million-word "Insect Diary" not only records Fabre's research results in detail, but also records Fabre's motivations, life ambitions, knowledge background, living conditions, etc. for his obsession with insect research. , especially "Alma Laboratory", "Atavism", "My School", "Pond", "Mathematical Memories: Newton's Binomial", "Mathematical Memories: My Small Table", "Childhood Memories" and "Unforgettable" "Lesson" and "Industrial Chemistry" chapters. If you look at it from another perspective, you might as well think of "Insects" as Fabre's autobiography, a very peculiar autobiography. Insects are just evidence of his research experience and circumstantial material in his biography.