Born in Paris to a Peruvian noble father and a French mother from the petty bourgeoisie, Flora Tristan quickly experienced poverty after the premature death of her father. She became a colorist worker in Paris, where she met her future husband.
Flora Tristan's personal experience would determine her political commitment:after her failed marriage, she could not divorce. Indeed, divorce has been prohibited since 1816 in France. She therefore decides to flee from her home with her children. She then became one of the first feminist thinkers, defending free love but also divorce and also committed to defending workers. She met a number of socialist theoreticians, such as Charles Fourier.
In April 1833, she left for Peru to meet her father's family, but this trip was a failure:her family refused to recognize her. Flora Tristan published an autobiographical account in 1837, entitled Peregrinations of a pariah , in which she talks about her trip while addressing various social issues (politics, religion, etc.).
In 1844, she published the book Worker's Union , where she calls on all workers to unite together to fight against their exploitation. She died in Bordeaux the same year, while she was touring France to promote her book.
1803 - 1844
Status
Politician
Woman of letters