Hi all! I came across a list of the 10 best French novels. To be honest, I didn’t get along well with the French, so I’ll ask connoisseurs - what do you think of the list, what you read/didn’t read from it, what would you add/remove to it?
1. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - “The Little Prince”
The most famous work of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry with original drawings. A wise and “humane” fairy tale-parable, which simply and heartfeltly talks about the most important things: about friendship and love, about duty and loyalty, about beauty and intolerance to evil.
“We all come from childhood,” the great Frenchman reminds us and introduces us to the most mysterious and touching hero of world literature.
2. Alexandre Dumas - “The Count of Monte Cristo”
The plot of the novel was gleaned by Alexandre Dumas from the archives of the Parisian police. The true life of François Picot, under the pen of a brilliant master of the historical adventure genre, turned into a fascinating story about Edmond Dantes, a prisoner of the Château d'If. Having made a daring escape, he returns to his hometown to bring justice - to take revenge on those who destroyed his life.
3. Gustave Flaubert - “Madame Bovary”
The main character, Emma Bovary, suffers from the inability to fulfill her dreams of a brilliant, social life full of romantic passions. Instead, she is forced to eke out a monotonous existence as the wife of a poor provincial doctor. The painful atmosphere of the outback suffocates Emma, but all her attempts to break out of the bleak world are doomed to failure: her boring husband cannot satisfy his wife’s demands, and her outwardly romantic and attractive lovers are in fact self-centered and cruel. Is there a way out of life's impasse?..
4. Gaston Leroux - “The Phantom of the Opera”
“The Phantom of the Opera really existed” - one of the most sensational French novels of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries is dedicated to the proof of this thesis. It belongs to the pen of Gaston Leroux, a master of the police novel, author of the famous “The Secret of the Yellow Room” and “The Scent of a Lady in Black.” From the first to the last page, Leroux keeps the reader in suspense.
5. Guy De Maupassant - “Dear Friend”
Guy de Maupassant is often called the master of erotic prose. But the novel "Dear Friend" (1885) goes beyond this genre. The story of the career of the ordinary seducer and playmaker Georges Duroy, developing in the spirit of an adventure novel, becomes a symbolic reflection of the spiritual impoverishment of the hero and society.
6. Simone De Beauvoir - “The Second Sex”
Two volumes of the book “The Second Sex” by the French writer Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) - “a born philosopher,” according to her husband J.-P. Sartre, are still considered the most complete historical and philosophical study of the entire range of problems associated with women. What is “women’s destiny”, what is behind the concept of “natural purpose of gender”, how and why the position of a woman in this world differs from the position of a man, is a woman in principle capable of becoming a full-fledged person, and if so, then under what conditions, what circumstances limit a woman’s freedom and how to overcome them.
7. Cholerlo de Laclos - “Dangerous Liaisons”
“Dangerous Liaisons” is one of the most striking novels of the 18th century - the only book by Choderlos de Laclos, a French artillery officer. The heroes of the erotic novel, the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil, start a sophisticated intrigue, wanting to take revenge on their opponents. Having developed a cunning strategy and tactics to seduce the young girl Cecile de Volanges, they masterfully play on human weaknesses and shortcomings.
8. Charles Baudelaire - “Flowers of Evil”
Among the masters of world culture, the name of Charles Baudelaire burns like a bright star. This book includes the poet’s collection “Flowers of Evil,” which made his name famous, and the brilliant essay “The School of the Pagans.” The book is preceded by an article by the remarkable Russian poet Nikolai Gumilyov, and ends with a rarely published essay on Baudelaire by the outstanding French poet and thinker Paul Valéry.
9. Stendhal - “The Parma Abode”
The novel, written by Stendhal in just 52 days, received worldwide recognition. The dynamism of the action, the intriguing course of events, the dramatic denouement combined with the depiction of strong characters capable of anything for the sake of love are the key points of the work that continue to excite the reader until the last lines. The fate of Fabrizio, the main character of the novel, a freedom-loving young man, is filled with unexpected twists and turns, taking place during a period of historical turning point in Italy at the beginning of the 19th century.
10. Andre Gide - “The Counterfeiters”
A novel that is significant both for the work of Andre Gide and for French literature of the first half of the 20th century in general. A novel that largely predicted the motives that later became fundamental in the work of the existentialists. The tangled relationships of three families - representatives of the big bourgeoisie, united by crime, vice and a labyrinth of self-destructive passions, become the backdrop for the coming-of-age story of two young men - two childhood friends, each of whom will have to go through their own, very difficult school of “education of feelings.”
French writers are among the most prominent representatives of European prose. Many of them are recognized novels and stories of which served as the basis for the formation of fundamentally new artistic movements and directions. Of course, modern world literature owes a lot to France; the influence of writers from this country extends far beyond its borders.
The French writer Moliere lived in the 17th century. His real name is Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. Moliere is a theatrical pseudonym. He was born in 1622 in Paris. In his youth, he studied to become a lawyer, but as a result, his acting career attracted him more. Over time, he had his own troupe.
He made his debut in Paris in 1658 in the presence of Louis XIV. The play "The Doctor in Love" was a great success. In Paris, he takes up writing dramatic works. Over the course of 15 years, he created his best plays, which often provoked fierce attacks from others.
One of his first comedies, entitled "Funny Primroses", was first staged in 1659.
It tells the story of two rejected suitors who are coldly received in the house of the bourgeois Gorgibus. They decide to take revenge and teach capricious and cutesy girls a lesson.
One of the most famous plays by the French writer Moliere is called "Tartuffe, or the Deceiver." It was written in 1664. The action of this work takes place in Paris. Tartuffe, a modest, learned and selfless man, ingratiates himself into the trust of the wealthy owner of the house, Orgon.
Those around Orgon are trying to prove to him that Tartuffe is not as simple as he pretends to be, but the owner of the house does not believe anyone except his new friend. Finally, Tartuffe’s true essence is revealed when Orgon entrusts him with the storage of money, transfers his capital and house to him. Only thanks to the intervention of the king is it possible to restore justice.
Tartuffe is punished, and Orgon's property and house are returned. This play made Moliere the most famous French writer of his time.
In 1694, another famous French writer, Voltaire, was born in Paris. It is interesting that, like Moliere, he had a pseudonym, and his real name was Francois-Marie Arouet.
He was born into the family of an official. He received his education at a Jesuit college. But, like Moliere, he left jurisprudence, choosing in favor of literature. He began his career in the palaces of aristocrats as a freeloading poet. Soon he was imprisoned. For satirical poems dedicated to the regent and his daughter, he was imprisoned in the Bastille. Later, he had to suffer more than once for his willful literary disposition.
In 1726, the French writer Voltaire left for England, where he devoted three years to the study of philosophy, politics and science. Returning, he writes for which the publisher is sent to prison, and Voltaire manages to escape.
Voltaire, first of all, is a famous French writer and philosopher. In his writings, he repeatedly criticizes religion, which was unacceptable for that time.
Among the most famous works of this writer on French literature, one should highlight the satirical poem “The Virgin of Orleans.” In it, Voltaire presents the successes of Joan of Arc in a comic manner and ridicules the courtiers and knights. Voltaire died in 1778 in Paris; it is known that for a long time he corresponded with the Russian Empress Catherine II.
The 19th century French writer Honore de Balzac was born in the town of Tours. His father got rich by reselling land, even though he was a peasant. He wanted Balzac to become a lawyer, but he abandoned his legal career, devoting himself entirely to literature.
He published the first book under his own name in 1829. It was the historical novel "Chouans", dedicated to the Great French Revolution of 1799. His fame is brought to him by the story “Gobsek” about a moneylender for whom stinginess turns into mania, and the novel “Shagreen Skin”, dedicated to the clash of an inexperienced person with the vices of modern society. Balzac becomes one of the favorite French writers of that time.
The idea for the main work of his life came to him in 1831. He decides to create a multi-volume work that will reflect the picture of the morals of his contemporary society. He would later call this work “The Human Comedy.” This is a philosophical and artistic history of France, to the creation of which he devotes the rest of his life. The French writer, author of The Human Comedy, includes many previously written works in it, and specially reworks some.
Among them are the already mentioned “Gobsek”, as well as “A Thirty-Year-Old Woman”, “Colonel Chabert”, “Père Goriot”, “Eugenia Grande”, “Lost Illusions”, “The Splendor and Poverty of Courtesans”, “Sarrazine”, “Lily of the Valley” and many other works. It is as the author of The Human Comedy that the French writer Honore de Balzac remains in the history of world literature.
Among the French writers of the 19th century, Victor Hugo also stands out. One of the key figures of French romanticism. He was born in the town of Besançon in 1802. He began writing at the age of 14, these were poems, in particular, Hugo translated Virgil. In 1823 he published his first novel entitled "Gan the Icelander".
In the 30-40s of the 19th century, the work of the French writer V. Hugo was closely connected with the theater; he also published poetry collections.
Among his most famous works is the epic novel Les Miserables, which is deservedly considered one of the greatest books of the entire 19th century. Its main character, an ex-convict, angry at all of humanity, returns from hard labor, where he spent 19 years due to the theft of bread. He ends up with a Catholic bishop, who completely changes his life.
The priest treats him with respect, and when Valjean steals from him, he forgives him and does not hand him over to the authorities. The man who accepted and took pity on him shocked the protagonist so much that he decides to found a factory for making black glass products. Becomes the mayor of a small town, for which the factory turns into a city-forming enterprise.
But when he still stumbles, the French police rush to look for him, Valjean is forced to hide.
In 1831, another famous work of the French writer Hugo was published - the novel Notre Dame de Paris. The action takes place in Paris. The main female character is the gypsy Esmeralda, who drives everyone around her crazy with her beauty. The priest of Notre Dame Cathedral is secretly in love with her. His pupil, the hunchback Quasimodo, who works as a bell-ringer, is fascinated by the girl.
The girl herself remains faithful to the captain of the royal riflemen, Phoebus de Chateaupere. Blinded by jealousy, Frollo wounds Phoebus, and Esmeralda herself becomes the accused. She is sentenced to death. When the girl is brought to the square to be hanged, Frollo and Quasimodo watch. The hunchback, realizing that it is the priest who is to blame for her troubles, throws him from the top of the cathedral.
When talking about the books of the French writer Victor Hugo, one cannot fail to mention the novel “The Man Who Laughs.” The writer created it in the 60s of the 19th century. Its main character is Gwynplaine, who was mutilated as a child by representatives of a criminal community of child traffickers. The fate of Gwynplaine is very similar to the story of Cinderella. From a fair artist he turns into an English peer. By the way, the action takes place in Britain at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries.
The famous French writer, author of the story “Dumpling”, the novels “Dear Friend”, “Life”, Guy de Maupassant was born in 1850. During his studies, he showed himself to be a capable student with a passion for theatrical art and literature. He served as a private during the Franco-Prussian War and worked as an official in the Naval Ministry after his family went bankrupt.
The aspiring writer immediately captivated the public with his debut story “Pyshka,” in which he told about an overweight prostitute nicknamed Pyshka, who, along with nuns and representatives of the upper classes, leaves the besieged Rouen during the war of 1870. The ladies around her at first treat the girl arrogantly, even unite against her, but when they run out of food, they willingly help themselves to her provisions, forgetting about any hostility.
The main themes of Maupassant's work were Normandy, the Franco-Prussian War, women (as a rule, they became victims of violence), and their own pessimism. Over time, his nervous illness intensifies, and themes of hopelessness and depression occupy him more and more.
His novel “Dear Friend” is very popular in Russia, in which the author talks about an adventurer who managed to make a brilliant career. It is noteworthy that the hero does not have any talents other than natural beauty, thanks to which he conquers all the ladies around him. He does a lot of mean things, with which he calmly gets along, becoming one of the powerful of this world.
He was born in 1885 into a wealthy family of Jews from Alsace who converted to Catholicism. He studied at the Rouen Lyceum. At first he worked at his father's cloth factory.
During the First World War he was a liaison officer and military translator. His first success came in 1918, when he published the novel The Silent Colonel Bramble.
Later he participated in the French Resistance. He also served during World War II. After France capitulated to fascist troops, he left for the USA, in America he wrote biographies of General Eisenhower, Washington, Franklin, Chopin. Returned to France in 1946.
In addition to his biographical works, Maurois was famous as a master of the psychological novel. Among the most notable books of this genre are the novels: “Family Circle”, “The Vicissitudes of Love”, “Memoirs”, published in 1970.
Albert Camus is a famous French writer and publicist who was close to the current of existentialism. Camus was born in Algeria in 1913, which was a French colony at the time. My father died in the First World War, after which my mother and I lived in poverty.
In the 1930s, Camus studied philosophy at the University of Algiers. He became interested in socialist ideas, even was a member of the French Communist Party, until he was expelled, suspected of “Trotskyism.”
In 1940, Camus completed his first famous work - the story "The Stranger", which is considered a classic illustration of the ideas of existentialism. The story is told on behalf of a 30-year-old Frenchman named Meursault, who lives in colonial Algeria. On the pages of the story, three main events of his life take place - the death of his mother, the murder of a local resident and the subsequent trial; from time to time he starts a relationship with a girl.
In 1947, Camus's most famous novel, The Plague, was published. This book is in many ways an allegory of the “brown plague” recently defeated in Europe - fascism. At the same time, Camus himself admitted that he put evil in general into this image, without which it is impossible to imagine existence.
In 1957, the Nobel Committee awarded him the Literature Prize for works that highlighted the importance of human conscience.
The famous French writer Jean-Paul Sartre, like Camus, was an adherent of the ideas of existentialism. By the way, he was also awarded the Nobel Prize (in 1964), but Sartre refused it. He was born in Paris in 1905.
He proved himself not only in literature, but also in journalism. In the 50s, working for the magazine "New Times", he supported the desire of the Algerian people to gain independence. He spoke for the freedom of self-determination of peoples, against torture and colonialism. French nationalists repeatedly threatened him, twice blew up his apartment, located in the center of the capital, and militants repeatedly seized the magazine's editorial office.
Sartre supported the Cuban Revolution and took part in student unrest in 1968.
His most famous work is the novel Nausea. He wrote it back in 1938. The reader finds himself in front of the diary of a certain Antoine Roquentin, who leads it with one single goal - to get to the bottom of it. He is worried about the changes happening to him, which the hero cannot figure out. The nausea that overcomes Antoine from time to time becomes the main symbol of the novel.
Soon after the October Revolution, such a thing as Russian-French writers appeared. A large number of domestic writers were forced to emigrate; many found refuge in France. The writer Gaito Gazdanov, born in St. Petersburg in 1903, is called French.
During the Civil War in 1919, Gazdanov joined Wrangel's volunteer army, although he was only 16 years old at the time. Served as a soldier on an armored train. When the White army was forced to retreat, he ended up in the Crimea, from there he sailed by ship to Constantinople. He settled in Paris in 1923 and spent most of his life there.
His fate was not easy. He worked as a locomotive cleaner, a loader at the port, a mechanic at the Citroen plant, when he could not find any work, he spent the night on the street, living like a clochard.
At the same time, he studied for four years at the University of History and Philology at the famous French Sorbonne University. Even after becoming a famous writer, he was not financially solvent for a long time and was forced to work as a taxi driver at night.
In 1929, he published his first novel, An Evening at Claire's. The novel is conventionally divided into two parts. The first tells about the events that happened to the hero before meeting Claire. And the second part is devoted to memories of the times of the Civil War in Russia; the novel is largely autobiographical. The thematic centers of the work are the death of the protagonist's father, the situation that prevails in the cadet corps, and Claire. One of the central images is an armored train, which serves as a symbol of constant departure, the desire to always learn something new.
It is interesting that critics divide Gazdanov’s novels into “French” and “Russian”. They can be used to track the formation of the author’s creative self-awareness. In “Russian” novels, the plot, as a rule, is based on an adventurous strategy, the experience of the “traveler” author, and many personal impressions and events are revealed. Gazdanov's autobiographical works are the most sincere and frank.
Gazdanov differs from most of his contemporaries in his laconicism, rejection of the traditional and classical novel form, often he does not have a plot, climax, denouement, or a clearly structured plot. At the same time, his narrative is as close as possible to real life; it covers many psychological, philosophical, social and spiritual problems. Most often, Gazdanov is not interested in the events themselves, but in how they change the consciousness of his characters; he tries to interpret the same life manifestations in different ways. His most famous novels: “The Story of a Journey”, “Flight”, “Night Roads”, “The Ghost of Alexander Wolf”, “The Return of the Buddha” (after the success of this novel he came to relative financial independence), “Pilgrims”, “Awakening” , "Evelina and Her Friends", "Coup", which was never completed.
No less popular are the stories of the French writer Gazdanov, whom he can fully call himself. These are “The Lord of the Future”, “Comrade Brak”, “Black Swans”, “The Eight of Spades Society”, “Error”, “Evening Companion”, “Ivanov’s Letter”, “The Beggar”, “Lanterns”, “The Great Musician”.
In 1970, the writer was diagnosed with lung cancer. He bravely endured the illness; most of his acquaintances did not even suspect that Gazdanov was sick. Few of those close to him knew how hard it was for him. The prose writer died in Munich and was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve des Bois cemetery near the French capital.
There are many popular French writers among their contemporaries. Perhaps the most famous among those living today is Frederick Beigbeder. He was born in 1965 near Paris. He received a higher education at the Institute of Political Studies, then studied marketing and advertising.
Started working as a copywriter in a large advertising agency. At the same time, he collaborated with magazines as a literary critic. When he was fired from an advertising agency, he took up the novel “99 Francs,” which brought him worldwide success. This is a bright and frank satire that exposed the ins and outs of the advertising business.
The main character is an employee of a large advertising agency; we note that the novel is largely autobiographical. He lives in luxury, having a lot of money, women, and indulging in drugs. His life is turned upside down after two events that force the protagonist to take a different look at the world around him. It's an affair with the agency's most beautiful employee, Sophie, and a meeting at a huge dairy corporation about a commercial he's working on.
The main character decides to rebel against the system that gave birth to him. He begins to sabotage his own advertising campaign.
By that time, Begbeder had already published two books - “Memoirs of an Unreasonable Young Man” (the title refers to Simone de Beauvoir’s novel “Memoirs of a Well-Brought-Up Girl”), a collection of short stories “Holidays in a Coma” and the novel “Love Lives for Three Years”, later filmed. as well as "99 francs". Moreover, in this film Beigbeder himself acted as a director.
Many of Beigbeder's heroes are extravagant playmakers, very similar to the author himself.
In 2002, he published the novel Windows on the World, written exactly one year after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Beigbeder is trying to find words that can express the horror of the impending reality, which turns out to be worse than the most incredible Hollywood fantasies.
In 2009, he wrote "The French Novel", an autobiographical narrative in which the author is placed in a holding cell for using cocaine in a public place. There he begins to remember his forgotten childhood, recalling the meeting of his parents, their divorce, his life with his older brother. Meanwhile, the arrest is extended, the hero begins to be overwhelmed by fear, which forces him to reconsider his own life and leave prison as a different person who has regained his lost childhood.
One of Beigbeder’s latest works is the novel “Una and Salinger,” which tells the story of the love of the famous American writer, who wrote the main book for teenagers of the 20th century, “The Catcher in the Rye,” and the 15-year-old daughter of the famous Irish playwright Una O'Neill.
Famous French writers have made an invaluable contribution to world literature. From the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre to Flaubert's commentary on society, France is well known for producing examples of literary geniuses. Thanks to the many famous sayings that quote masters of literature from France, there is a good chance that you are very familiar with, or at least heard of, works of French literature.
Over the centuries, many great literary works have appeared in France. While this list is hardly comprehensive, it contains some of the greatest literary masters who ever lived. Most likely you have read or at least heard about these famous French writers.
Honore de Balzac, 1799-1850
Balzac is a French writer and playwright. One of his most famous works, The Human Comedy, was his first real taste of success in the literary world. In fact, his personal life became more about trying something and failing than actual success. He is considered by many literary critics to be one of the "founding fathers" of realism because The Human Comedy was a commentary on all aspects of life. This is a collection of all the works he wrote under his own name. Father Goriot is often cited in French literature courses as a classic example of realism. A story of King Lear set in 1820s Paris, Père Goriot is Balzac's reflection of a money-loving society.
Samuel Beckett, 1906-1989
Samuel Beckett is actually Irish, but he wrote mostly in French because he lived in Paris, moving there in 1937. He is considered the last great modernist and some argue that he is the first postmodernist. Particularly prominent in his personal life was his involvement in the French Resistance during World War II, when he was under German occupation. Although Beckett published widely, he was most renowned for his theater of the absurd, depicted in the play En attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot).
Cyrano de Bergerac, 1619-1655
Cyrano de Bergerac is best known for the play that Rostand wrote about him called Cyrano de Bergerac. The play has been staged and made into films many times. The plot is well known: Cyrano loves Roxane, but stops courting her in order to read his poems to her on behalf of his not so eloquent friend. Rostand most likely embellishes the real characteristics of de Bergerac's life, although he really was a phenomenal swordsman and a delightful poet.
It can be said that his poetry is more famous than Rostand's play. According to descriptions, he had an extremely large nose of which he was very proud.
Albert Camus, 1913-1960
Albert Camus is an Algerian-born author who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He was the first African to achieve this and the second youngest writer in literary history. Despite being associated with existentialism, Camus rejects any labels. His two most famous novels are absurd: L "Étranger (The Stranger) and Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus). He was perhaps best known as a philosopher and his works are a reflection of the life of that time. In fact, he wanted to become footballer, but contracted tuberculosis at the age of 17 and was bedridden for a long period of time.
Victor Hugo, 1802-1885
Victor Hugo would call himself primarily a humanist who used literature to describe the conditions of human life and the injustices of society. Both of these themes can be easily seen in two of his most famous works: Les misèrables (Les Miserables), and Notre-Dame de Paris (Notre Dame Cathedral is also known by its popular title, The Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Alexandre Dumas, father 1802-1870
Alexandre Dumas is considered the most widely read author in French history. He is known for his historical novels, which describe the dangerous adventures of heroes. Dumas was a prolific writer and many of his stories are still retold today:
Three Musketeers
Count of Montecristo
The Man in the Iron Mask
1821-1880
His first published novel, Madame Bovary, became perhaps his most famous work. It was originally published as a series of novellas, and the French authorities filed a lawsuit against Flaubert for immorality.
Jules Verne, 1828-1905
Jules Verne is especially famous because he was one of the first authors to write science fiction. Many literary critics even consider him one of the founding fathers of the genre. He wrote many novels, here are some of the most famous:
Twenty thousand leagues under the sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Around the world in 80 Days
Other French writers
Moliere
Emile Zola
Stendhal
George Sand
Musset
Marcel Proust
Rostand
Jean-Paul Sartre
Madame de Scudery
Stendhal
Sully-Prudhomme
Anatole France
Simone de Beauvoir
Charles Baudelaire
Voltaire
In France, literature was, and continues to be, the driving force of philosophy. Paris is fertile ground for the newest ideas, philosophies and movements the world has ever seen.
Famous French writers
Famous French writers have made invaluable contributions to the world
literature. From the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre to commentaries on
Flaubert Society, France is well known for the phenomenon of world examples
literary geniuses. Thanks to the many famous sayings that
quote masters of literature from France, there is a high probability
that you are very familiar with, or at least have heard, about
works of French literature.
Over the centuries, many great works of literature have appeared
in France. While this list is hardly comprehensive, it does contain some
one of the greatest literary masters who ever lived. Quicker
everything you have read or at least heard about these famous French
writers.
Honore de Balzac, 1799-1850
Balzac is a French writer and playwright. One of his most famous
works "The Human Comedy" became his first real taste of success in
literary world. In fact, his personal life became more of an attempt
trying something and failing rather than actually succeeding. He, according to
according to many literary critics, is considered one of
"founding fathers" of realism, because the "Human Comedy" was
commentary on all aspects of life. This is a collection of all the works that he
wrote under his own name. Father Goriot is often cited in courses
French literature as a classic example of realism. History of the King
Lear, taking place in the 1820s in Paris, the book "Père Goriot" is
Balzac's reflection of a money-loving society.
Samuel Beckett, 1906-1989
Samuel Beckett is actually Irish, but he mostly wrote
in French, because he lived in Paris, moving there in 1937. He
considered the last great modernist and some argue that he is
the first postmodernist. Particularly outstanding in his personal life was
participation in the French Resistance during World War II,
when it was under German occupation. Although Beckett published a lot,
he most of all for his theater of the absurd, depicted in the play En attendant
Godot (Waiting for Godot).
Cyrano de Bergerac, 1619-1655
Cyrano de Bergerac is best known for the play that was
written about him by Rostand under the title "Cyrano de Bergerac". play
It has been staged and made into films many times. The plot is familiar: Cyrano
loves Roxana, but stops courting her so as not to
such an eloquent friend to read his poems to her. Rostand most likely
embellishes the real characteristics of de Bergerac's life, although he
he truly was a phenomenal swordsman and a delightful poet.
It can be said that his poetry is more famous than Rostand's play. By
He is described as having an extremely large nose, of which he was very proud.
Albert Camus, 1913-1960
Albert Camus is an author of Algerian origin who received
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He was the first African
who achieved this, and the second youngest writer in history
literature. Despite the fact that he is associated with existentialism, Camus
rejects any labels. His two most famous novels are absurd:
L "Étranger (The Stranger) and Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus). He was,
perhaps best known as a philosopher and his works - mapping
life of that time. In fact, he wanted to become a football player, but
contracted tuberculosis at the age of 17 and was bedridden in
over a long period of time.
Victor Hugo, 1802-1885
Victor Hugo would call himself first and foremost a humanist who used
literature to describe the conditions of human life and injustice
society. Both of these themes can be easily seen in two of his most famous
works: Les misèrables (Les Miserables), and Notre-Dame de Paris (The Cathedral
Notre Dame is also known by its popular name - The Hunchback of
Notre Dame).
Alexandre Dumas, father 1802-1870
Alexandre Dumas is considered the most widely read author in French history.
He is known for his historical novels that depict dangerous
adventures of heroes. Dumas was prolific in writing and many of his
The stories are still retold today:
Three Musketeers
Count of Montecristo
The Man in the Iron Mask
The Nutcracker (made famous through Tchaikovsky's ballet version)
Gustave Flaubert 1821-1880
His first published novel, Madame Bovary, became perhaps the most
famous for his work. It was originally published as a series
novel, and the French authorities filed a lawsuit against Flaubert for
immorality.
Jules Verne 1828-1905
Jules Verne is especially famous because he was one of the first authors
who wrote science fiction. Many literary critics even consider
him one of the founding fathers of the genre. He wrote many novels, here
some of the most famous:
Twenty thousand leagues under the sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Around the world in 80 Days
Other French writers
There are many other great French writers:
Moliere
Emile Zola
Stendhal
George Sand
Musset
Marcel Proust
Rostand
Jean-Paul Sartre
Madame de Scudery
Stendhal
Sully-Prudhomme
Anatole France
Simone de Beauvoir
Charles Baudelaire
Voltaire
In France, literature was, and continues to be, the driving force of philosophy.
Paris is fertile ground for new ideas, philosophies and movements that
ever seen the world.
In early autumn, when the rains and warm sweaters have not yet become boring, you especially want a cozy and pleasant read - not too complicated, not too long and, of course, about love. Especially for those who can’t wait to wrap themselves in a blanket and spend a couple of pleasant hours in the company of heroes similar to each of us, Natasha Bayburina I selected 6 novels by contemporary French authors. Enjoy reading!
“Later I will understand that you find love when you are not looking for it; This stupid common statement is, oddly enough, true. And I will also understand in time - amazing discovery - that this also applies to writing a book. There is no need to specifically look for ideas and waste tons of paper on drafts: the book should come on its own, the first step is for her. You just have to be ready to let her in when she knocks on the door of imagination. And then the words will flow on their own, easily and naturally.”
“All my previous loves were just drafts, you became a masterpiece.”
Feminine and sophisticated writer Valerie Tong-Cuong is often called the new Anna Gavalda. Her novels have been translated into many foreign languages, and one of them is already being made into a film. The book “Providence” brought Valerie not only world fame, but also a nomination for the prestigious French Femina Prize. This novel is about hope, the butterfly effect and banal little things that connect completely different people with an invisible thread. If I were asked to describe this book in one sentence, I would say this: “Providence” is one of the kindest books, after reading which you want to live and do something good.
“Some people I know go to the other side of the world to do good for people; I try to do what I can for those I love and who are nearby.”
An absolutely charming story about friendship, love, children and the child in each of us. The plot centers on two French bosom friends (who are also single fathers) who are trying to arrange their life in London, exchanging the capital of France for 5 o’clock tea and endless rains and fogs. Everyone will find something of their own in this book: beauty (one of the heroines is a florist), humor (some dialogues are hilarious), the romance of antiquity (part of the action takes place in a library) and, of course, hope. Attention: if you like the book, I highly recommend watching the French film of the same name - it is a real little masterpiece and an ode to joi de vivre - the small joys of everyday life.
“No self-respecting Parisian on the Boulevard Saint-Germain would cross the road on a white zebra crossing when the light is green. A self-respecting Parisian will wait for heavy traffic and rush straight ahead, knowing that she is taking a risk.”
This collection of Gavalda's stories is a real treat. Each hero of the book is your acquaintance, whom you will definitely recognize from the first lines. Your best friend, a sales assistant in a clothing store, your sister, neighbor and boss - all of them (with their fears, joys and sorrows) are collected in one small book, to which I personally return again and again. After reading all the stories, you will sort the tiny volume into quotes, advise your friends, and (if this is your first acquaintance with the author) read all of Gavalda’s other books in one gulp.
“Anna gets into the taxi, I quietly slam the door, she smiles at me from behind the glass, and the car starts moving... In a good movie, I would run after her taxi in the rain, and we would fall into each other’s arms at the nearest traffic light. Or she would suddenly change her mind and beg the driver to stop, like Audrey Hepburn - Holly Golightly in the finale of Breakfast at Tiffany's. But we're not at the cinema. We are in a life where taxis go their own way."
Frederic Beigbeder has two novels that do not irritate me. This is “Una and Salinger” (the story of the great love of the famous writer and future wife of Charlie Chaplin) and, of course, the book “Love Lives for Three Years.” It is written in such a modern, simple and understandable language that it cannot leave anyone indifferent. If you have ever climbed the wall from unrequited feelings, played the same sad song on your iPod in circles, imagined yourself as a movie hero, walking around the city alone, if you have ever fallen in love at first sight, you were on your way from betrayal, wrote “drunk” messages to your former lovers, and if, of course, you are ready to experience all this madness one more time, do not deny yourself the pleasure. In the company of a crazy Beigbeder and a couple of cups of tea, time will definitely fly by!
“My technique worked. This is exactly what I told myself the first time I sat down on the sand to look at the sea. Chance brought me to the right place - it seemed that I was alone in the whole world. I closed my eyes, the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore a few meters away from me lulled me to sleep.”
Despite the fact that Agnès's first book did not initially meet with approval from publishers, after a few years the novel became a real bestseller. Having received another refusal for publication, Madame Lugan posted the manuscript on the Internet, and fame instantly fell upon her! What is not motivation for novice bloggers? The plot centers on the story of Parisian Diana, who lost her husband and little daughter in a car accident and gave herself a chance for a new life by leaving France for an Irish village. “Happy people read books and drink coffee” is absolutely not stressful reading, very simple, very cozy, a little naive and in places too romantic. This book is good to take with you to a cafe when you want to quietly drink a cup of espresso or a glass of Bordeaux in silence and solitude.
