Theuriet studied law in Paris and became a civil servant. He retired as a civil servant in 1886, almost 20 years after his first published book was issued. The was the Chemin des bois, a collection of poems, many of which had already appeared in the Revue des Deux Mondes.
Theuriet received in 1890 the French: prix Vitet from the French Academy, and was made a member of the Academy in 1896.
