Who could count the songs scattered to the harsh winds of Haute-Marne in my nest at Vroncourt! The verses clinging to hawthorns or the paths along the roads! The forgotten attempts in my classroom desk! And later, ask the winds, the prisons, the sea, the cyclones. Do I even know where all of it has gone?

If I wanted to recount everything that has remained in my memory, it would surely tire the reader. From the verses sent to Victor Hugo in my childhood and youth, some of which I’ve quoted here and there, two or three pieces are included in my volume of poetry. These are the ones kept among the papers organized by Marie Ferré with my mother during my deportation.

The majority of my works, likely the best, because they were full of hatred and indignation, probably ended up in Monsieur Bonaparte’s trash bin. How many curses I have sent his way!

I have spoken of various poems published in different newspapers several years before the events of 1870–71, including in The Youth Journal, The Union of Poets, Adèle Esquiros’ journal, and The Reason by Adèle Caldelar, among others.

There was an article signed “Louis Michel” in The Musical Progress, discussing an instrument I envisioned: a piano with bows instead of hammers. Such instruments are now made in Germany.

A number of verses were signed “Enjolras,” others “Louis Michel,” and some with my own name. I have no idea what became of all of them.

Throughout my life, I continued the bard’s legend, fragments of which exist everywhere.

Of the many prose manuscripts—The Book of Hermann, The Wisdom of a Fool, Literature in Crochet, The Devilries of Chaumont, etc.—a few fragments remain. Perhaps one day, I will gather them to trace, as in my poetry, the transformations of ideas throughout life.

The Oceanian Legends and Kanak Legends were published in fragments in Nouméa and upon my return.

A multitude of children’s plays disappeared after every prize distribution for many years.

Of Woman Through the Ages, only the first part was published in The Excommunicated by H. Place. The newspaper had announced The Memoirs of Hanna the Nihilist before it ceased publication.

Under this title, I had gathered many episodes of my life, along with Russian episodes.

From the works written in Auberive, a few pages remain from The Book of the Penal Colony; The Conscience and The Book of the Dead are lost.

On my last trip to Lyon, I left the drama The Red Rooster with The Nouvelliste. A novel also appeared in The Convict of Lille.

All articles signed by me in The Social Revolution, The Standard, and other journals remain scattered.

The beginning of The Children’s Encyclopedia, written in New Caledonia, appeared in The Journal of Education by Mlle. Cheminat.

A number of signed articles are dispersed.

As for the unfinished scenarios and novels started here and there, which I never had the time to finish due to events, I don’t even count them. Among them is The Pillagers, an idea that came to me at the same time as Digeon…

Let me conclude the chapter by mentioning The Children’s Encyclopedia, to be published by Mme. Keva, and Kanak Legends, currently being published by the same editor.

What Louise did not write:

The above is a generally-accepted list of Louise Michel’s published works.

However, she made some statements in Part 2, Chapter 7 of her memoirs, which contested her authorship of some of them.

The relevant parts are below:

1. Louise co-authored Le Bâtard Impérial and Nadine with Mr Grippa de Winter, but Louise states that their contributions were entirely separate. She did not edit or write any of the parts he wrote, she says, and likewise he left her parts exactly ‘as I created it’.
2. Likewise, Mme. Tynaire (Jean Guetré) is responsible, Louise says, for the first part of La Misère The second part, starting from the chapter Toulon, is entirely Louise’s. She says that she began publishing her second part as a serialised story in The Convict of Lille. She said, “Mme. Tynaire could be a friend to me, but not a collaborator, due to the differences in our perspectives, which are clearly highlighted in La Misère. Our two parts are easily distinguishable.“
3. Louise also says that she did not contribute “a single line” to Les Méprisées, having maintained the collaboration only “to remain on good terms (with the co-author) rather than resorting to disputes.”