manqué

Manqué is a French term used in literary and art criticism to describe someone who has failed to realize their potential or to complete what was expected given their talents. It can refer to a person, as in poète manqué (a would-be poet), or to a work, as in oeuvre manqué, meaning an unfinished or unfulfilled body of work. The word derives from manquer, meaning to miss or to fail, and in English usage is often adopted in its French form.

In criticism, manqué carries an evaluative tone: it suggests latent promise that remained unfulfilled due to personal, historical, or circumstantial factors, such as premature death, shifting opportunities, or halted production. It does not necessarily indict talent but highlights a gap between potential and realized achievement, a gap that scholars may debate.

The term is commonly applied to poets, painters, novelists, and composers whose early work was acclaimed but who produced little thereafter, or whose major projects remained incomplete. It can also describe a work that, while perhaps of quality, was never completed or published as intended.

In modern usage, manqué remains a descriptive label in biographical or critical writing, signaling the tension between talent, ambition, and the actual career or completed output. It is often used to frame discussions of talent or genius in relation to what might have been.