Jean-Baptiste Gaut (1819–1891) was a French Provençal poet and playwright from Aix-en-Provence. He was a chief advocate of the Provençal language and the Félibrige movement. He was known as "Félibre Gaut."^[1]

Jean-Baptiste Gaut was born on 2 April 1819 in Aix-en-Provence, France.^[1][2] His father, Jean-Joseph Gaut, was an arquebus manufacturer. His mother, Marguerite Bastienne Berthon, was the daughter of armourer Jean Berthon.^[2]

Gaut was encouraged to write poetry in Provençal by a friend, Joseph Desanat.^[1] He first wrote poetry for Lou Bouil-Abaïsso, a literary journal started by Desanat.^[1] In 1852, Gaut was a co-author in a collection of poems in Provençal with Joseph Roumanille.^[1] That same year, they organised a conference to promote Provençal poetry in Arles, followed by a similar conference a year later, in 1853.^[1] Those conferences were the precursors to the Félibrige movement, founded in 1854 by Roumanille and Frédéric Mistral.^[1] Meanwhile, Gaut founded Le Gay-Saber, a Provençal literary review, which only published 17 issues.^[1][2] Later, he published poetry in Armana Prouvençau.^[2]

Beyond poetry, Gaut wrote two plays in Provençal.^[2] His first play, Lei Mourou, was performed in Forcalquier in 1875.^[2] He went on to write two opéra comiques, which were performed in Sorgues en 1881.^[2]

Gaut was active in Aix-en-Provence. He served as the editor-in-chief of Le Mémorial d'Aix, a bi-weekly newspaper in Aix.^[3] He served as the Director of the Bibliothèque Méjanes from 1878 to 1891.^[3]

Gaut married Marie-Nathalie Simon.^[2] They have three children: Jeanne-Marguerite Gaut (born 1861); Pauline Gaut (born 1866); and Jean Gaut (born 1871).^[2]

He died on 14 July 1891 in Aix-en-Provence.^[1]

• The Rue du Felibre Gaut in Aix-en-Provence is named in his honour.^[1]
• The Allée Jean-Baptiste Gaut in Sausset-les-Pins as well as the Rue Jean-Baptiste Gaut in Velaux are also named in his honour.^[4]

• Sounet, souneto e sounaio (poems, 1874).

• Lei Mourou (1875).
• La bèn-vengudo (1887).

• Lou mau d'amour (1881).
• Blanco-flour de Vau-Claro o L'amour enrabia (1881).