Marie d'Agoult
Marie Cathérine Sophie, Comtesse d'Agoult (née de Flavigny; 31 December 18055 March 1876), was a Franco-German romantic author and historian, known also by her pen name, Daniel Stern. Life. Marie was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, with the full name of Marie Cathérine Sophie de Flavigny, the daughter of Alexandre Victor François, Vicomte de Flavigny (1770–1819), a footloose émigré French aristocrat, and his wife Maria Elisabeth Bethmann (1772–1847), a German banker's daughter. The young Marie spent her early years in Germany and completed her education in a French convent after the Bourbon Restoration. She entered  into an early marriage of convenience with Charles Louis Constant d'Agoult, Comte d'Agoult (1790–1875) on 16 May 1827, thereby becoming the Comtesse d'Agoult. They had two daughters, Louise (1828–1834) and Claire (1830–1912). Marie never divorced the count, even though she had left him for Franz Liszt. From 1835 to 1839, she lived with composer and virtuoso pianist Franz Liszt, who was six years younger, and was then a rising concert star. She became close to Liszt's circle of friends, including Frédéric Chopin, who dedicated his 12 Études, Op. 25 to her (his earlier set of 12 Études, Op. 10  had been dedicated to Liszt). Liszt's "Die Lorelei", one of his very first pieces, based on text by Heinrich Heine, was also dedicated to her. D'Agoult had three children with Liszt; however, she and Liszt did not marry, maintaining their independent views and other differences while Liszt was busy composing and touring throughout Europe. Her children with Liszt were: In 1876, she died in Paris, aged 70, and was buried in Division 54 of Père Lachaise Cemetery. Works. Her first stories ("Hervé", "Julien", and "Valentia") were published in 1841–1845. Her best-known work (written as "Daniel Stern") is the  Histoire de la révolution de 1848 (appearing from 1850 to 1853, in 3 volumes). D'Agoult's other works include the novel "Nélida" (1846), "Lettres Républicaines" in "Esquisses morales et politiques" (1849, collected articles), "Trois journées de la vie de Marie Stuart" (1856), "Florence et Turin" (1862), "Histoire des commencements de la république aux Pays-Bas" (1872), "A Catholic Mother Speaks to Her Children" (1906, posthumously), and "Mes souvenirs" (1877, posthumously).