Today naughty Frederic Beigbeder celebrates his 50th birthday. We took advantage of this occasion and remembered the best French writers of our time.

Thanks to Beigbeder, Houellebecq, Levy, Verber and Gavalde, modern French literature is read and loved far beyond the borders of France. There is an opinion, for example, that Beigbeder and Houellebecq are more popular abroad than at home. This can be explained by the fact that the publishing business in France, although it is not blooming and smelling, is not stopping either - new writers appear here every week, but it was still possible to single out the most read ones.

Frederic Beigbeder

An advertising agency employee easily survived his dismissal - the reason for the dismissal was a scandalous novel 99 francs (today - 14.99 euros), which tells about the side of the advertising business hidden from ordinary people. Coming from a wealthy family, Beigbeder, in principle, could not work or write, but after 99 francs he was unstoppable - with a slight delay, the book Love Lives for Three Years, published three years earlier, and then any equally cynical and snobbish book became popular , Beigbeder's creation was a success with the public simply because of his name on the cover.

Michel Houellebecq

The most famous French writer outside of France. Houellebecq's novels are sharp, juicy, and often psychologically difficult. Each work contains the reflections of an intellectual, attempts to understand the world without losing respect for people. Read: Expanding the space of struggle, Elementary particles, The possibility of an island.

Daniel Pennac

The charming intellectual humorist is known in France for his children's books (Dog the Dog, Eye of the Wolf), and then found himself in the ironic detective genre, starting a series of novels about the loser Benjamin Malossin (read: Cannibal Happiness, The Carbine Fairy, The Little Prose Trader, Mister Malossin) . The cartoon Ernest and Celestine: The Adventures of a Mouse and a Bear, based on Pennac's script, received the French Cesar Award (“colleague” of the Oscar).

Bernard Werber

A philosopher and graphomaniac, Werber filled all bookstores - and not only in his homeland. The most famous works are the ant trilogy (Ants, Day of the Ant, Revolution of the Ants - practically the Matrix, in general!) and the highly pretentious Star Butterfly, which draws haunting parallels with the Bible.

Guillaume Musso

A relatively young French novelist, wildly popular among French readers. As soon as Musso’s new novel comes out, you immediately see it in the hands of every second person on the subway and in a restaurant. Read: After... (two literary awards and the film adaptation of Hostage to Death, 2008), Paper Girl, Tomorrow.

Antoine Volodin

The author wrote more than 30 works in different genres - and signed them with different names. The author's real name is still kept secret - only the Russian grandmother, birth in Burgundy, translation of Tokareva, Strugatsky, Limonov and others into French is known. Without giving critics the opportunity to attribute him to any literary movement, Volodin rushes between genres and asks his style to be called post-exoticism. Read: Dondog and everything you find in Russian.

Andrey Makin

Andrei Sergeevich Makin is the grandson of a French emigrant who settled in Russia in 1917. He studied in Moscow, then went to France and asked for asylum. He taught Russian to the French and wrote books that they did not want to publish - then he passed them off as translations of Russian works into French. After that, they began to publish him - and for his third novel (The French Testament) he received the most prestigious literary award in France - the Gongur Prize.

Pascal Quignard

Winner of the Gongur Prize, essayist, poet, prose writer - writes both novels and philosophical essays, and poetry. Read: Sex and Fear (about the evolution of eroticism in ancient art), The Staircases of Chambord (studying the architecture of the Chateau de Chambord in the Loire, designed by Leonardo da Vinci, the main character reflects on happiness and human relationships), All the Mornings of the World (about art and love).

Mark Levy

The prolific novelist once built a business in Silicon Valley working in computer graphics. After the success of his first book (Only if it were true - the book was used to make the Hollywood film Between Heaven and Earth with Reese Witherspoon) he stopped doing business and devoted himself entirely to literature. Levy is a popular writer among housewives and the quiet intelligentsia. To a person accustomed to aggressive and intellectual prose, his books may seem something like an exquisite Daria Dontsova.

Anna Gavalda

There are only eight novels - and what popularity! Ever since the first novel - I loved her. I loved him - it became clear that Françoise Sagan’s laurels haunted Anna. Later she found her own path: each of her works is a story about love, to one degree or another, and how it adorns every person. Read: Just together, A consolation game of petanque.

Frederick Beigbeder was born on September 21, 1965 in a family where he felt insecure since childhood, because his older brother was like an ideal for everyone. The bestselling author's mother worked as a translator of romance novels, and her father was a recruiter.

Even from school, the boy's writing abilities awakened, despite the fact that he was completely unsure of himself and his abilities. After his school days ended, the future writer entered the Paris Institute, while simultaneously studying to become a marketer, which was very popular at that time.

He successfully started his work in one well-known company, and soon he began to be invited as a reviewer for magazines and a radio presenter. The most famous, which he began publishing since 2000, are “99 francs”, “Love lasts three years”, “Romantic egoist”, “Ideal” and “Memoirs of an unreasonable young man”

Michel Houellebecq

Born on February 26, 1956 on the island of Reunion, which belonged to France. His parents were very busy with their work, so the boy never received enough attention. Only the grandparents on the mother’s side did not abandon their grandson and raised him for some time. But, soon, the paternal grandmother took Michel to her and did not regret it, because they began to live with each other in perfect harmony.

In adolescence, the writer becomes aware of the work of Howard Lovecraft, and after that he begins to actively write all sorts of works, creating his own magazine and writing his poems there.

The author's popularity comes to him only through the many difficulties he went through. Only in 1994, after a divorce from his wife and separation from his son, after long unemployment and deep depression, his first novel, “Expanding the Space of Struggle,” was published, which immediately became popular. Later “Elementary Particles”, “Platform”, “Island Possibility” and others were released.

Bernard Werber

The talented writer Bernard Werber was born in 1962 in the city of Toulouse. From the age of six, he showed a talent for writing and drawing. He wrote small children's works that surprised with their plot. Bernard had many talents, which he constantly revealed.

Outside of school, he was interested in engineering, astronomy, playing the electric guitar, drawing and much more. During his lyceum years, the author wrote many novels, and after finishing his studies, in 1978 he began writing the novel “Ants.” He put a lot into this work, but critics did not perceive it. But, later, the continuation of the novel won the hearts of readers, and Werber received his first magazine award. The most popular novels are "Ants", "Empire of Angels", "Star Butterfly", "" and many others.

Guillaume Musso

Guillaume Musso was born in 1974 on June 6. As a child, his main hobby was reading books. He read a lot and all the time. The parents were against their son’s literary activities, so the future writer had a hard time.

Publishers did not want to publish it, but he did not give up for a second. He worked as an ice cream salesman and lived in terrible conditions until he went to study to become a teacher, returning from Manhattan to France.

Only in 2001 was his novel finally accepted and published, which was happiness for the author. "Skidamarink" was a great success, as were later published works: "After", "Save Me", "Will You Be There?", "Because I Love You".

Mark Levy

Born on October 16, 1961 in Boulogne. The writer's father was a full-blooded Jew, and during World War II he fought alongside the communist parties against the fascist regime. Everything that happened to the writer became the basis for many of his novels.

When Mark graduated from school, he joined the Red Cross organization, then he was only eighteen years old. After this, he managed to organize his own company specializing in design. When he was 23 years old, the writer went to America and also created a design and technology company there. Returning to his homeland, he left all American branches to trusted representatives, and he himself took up creativity.

His first book, “Between Heaven and Earth,” immediately became very famous, and later the novel “Where Are You?”, “Everyone Wants to Love,” “Seven Days of Creation” and many others were published. By the way, many of them were filmed.

Anna Gavalda

Born in 1970 on December 9 in the city of Belon-Belancourt. Since childhood, the girl loved to write works with bright characters and plots. At the age of 14, due to her parents’ divorce, she entered a boarding school, where she studied and slept.

Later, when Anna was a student, she worked in many places, gaining experience. Soon after graduation, she became a French teacher for first grades. Her creativity began when she divorced her husband. All the excitement about this set her on a literary path.

Many of the writer’s works have received critical acclaim: “Aristote”, “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere”, “I loved him”, “Just together” and many others.

Daniel Pennac

Daniel Pennac was born on December 1, 1944 in Morocco in the city of Casablanca. The writer spent his childhood in the French colonies. The author studied in Nice, devoting himself to various professions from an ordinary taxi driver to a teacher.

None of the publishers accepted Daniel’s works, and only one of them, taking pity, wrote entire instructions on what needed to be corrected in what had been written and how. Since 1978, the writer decides to work on children's works. The period is known for two popular books, Eye of the Wolf and The Hound the Dog.

He soon became involved with political literature, ridiculing the authorities. And after that I began to get involved in detective work. Pennac's best novels are “Like a Romance,” “Diary of One Body,” “Cannibal Happiness,” “The Fairy Gunmother” and many others.

Pascal Quignard

Pascal Quignard was born on April 23, 1948 in Verneuil-sur-Avre. As a teenager, he devoted a lot of time to ancient languages ​​and philosophy. However, he soon stopped being carried away by the philosophical direction, leaving a place in his life for music. He was very attracted to the music of the Baroque era.

Once at the Elysee Palace, he influenced its management, and they decided to hold a celebration in the Baroque style, staging various theatrical performances with music and opera. And Pascal Quignard was in charge of all this, taking the trouble upon himself.

After many difficulties and gaining experience, the author leaves all the positions he held and devotes himself entirely to writing. His best works: “The Secret Life”, “Les Paradisiaques”, “Sur le jadis”, “Charon’s Rook”, “The Roving Shadows” and many others.

Antoine Volodin

Antoine Volodin was born in 1950 in the city of Chalon-sur-Saône. His name is just a pseudonym, but no one knows his real name, because he is secretive and does not tell anyone about his mysterious personality. The author's childhood years were spent in the city of Lyon.

The writer has Russian blood, he studied the Russian language, and, after that, translated many Russian works into French. Popularity came to the writer after he began publishing his novels in many magazines.

Antoine was also awarded the Russian Andrei Bely Prize. The best novels are considered to be “Dondog”, “Little Angels”, “Bardo il not Bardo”.

Jean-Christophe Grange

Born on July 15, 1961 in Boulogne-Billancourt. As a child, he read a lot and was very interested in music. The writer studied at the Sorbonne, while simultaneously studying the prose of modern authors. Having gone into the advertising business, Jean-Christophe did not stay there for long, and soon left this industry.

French novels are a real treasure trove of world classical literature. We'll tell you what works you can start with!

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age

Have you already turned 18?

Reading is a great leisure option. Depending on the book you choose, you can not only pass the time, but also acquire a lot of useful skills. Some people read exclusively specialized literature, while others, on the contrary, read fiction. However, both can be used for training. Especially when it comes to books by French writers.

Popular literary works in French

If you sharply ask a simple passer-by the question “What French authors do you know?”, he can easily get confused and name only the name of Dumas. The names of Russian classics and British masters flash through my head. However, we have known many famous authors from France since childhood.

For example, almost everyone knows Saint-Exupery’s quote “We are responsible for those we have tamed.” And the work “The Three Musketeers”, written by Dumas, was repeatedly filmed.

1. Albert Camus “The Plague”. The author wanted to include in the work a symbolic description of Europe's struggle against Nazism. However, the resulting work covers not only the phenomenon of the “brown plague”, but also other sensitive social topics. The word “plague” played the role of a symbolic description of all the evil that exists in the world. The work is written in the form of a chronicle novel.

2. Albert Camus “The Stranger”. The writer's first story. Based on the ideas of existentialism. Many literary scholars believe that this work preaches freedom in its purest manifestation. The entire story is told in the first person and takes the reader through the world of the main character - Meursault.

3. Victor Hugo "Les Miserables". A novel by a master of French literature. Considered one of the greatest works written in the nineteenth century. A main philosophical thread runs through the entire novel, touching on such manifestations as love, humanity, cruelty, suffering and happiness. The plot itself revolves around the life of former convict Jean Valjean.

4. Alexandre Dumas “The Count of Monte Cristo”. A classic known to almost everyone. The novel is written in the adventure genre and tells about the count, who at the beginning of the story was imprisoned. Since its writing, a huge number of films have been made, either exactly repeating the plot or only based on it.

5. Voltaire “Candide, or optimism”. It is the author's most popular work. Almost immediately after its appearance it was banned. The reason was allegedly his “obscenity.” In essence, this is a philosophical story, presented in the form of a so-called “picaresque novel.” At the end of Candide, the hero discovers the secret of happiness, which turns out to be completely different from what he expected.

6. Alexandre Dumas “The Three Musketeers”. This novel is known all over the world. Numerous film adaptations, theatrical productions and cartoons created based on it only emphasize the special popularity of the work. The historical adventure novel tells about valor and friendship, love and betrayal, palace intrigue and brave prowess. The main characters are four friends who enlisted in the ranks of the musketeers and serve for the glory of the king.

7. Gustave Flaubert “Madame Bovary” . This novel has long been recognized as a world masterpiece, despite extreme simplicity of the plot. Its main value is unusual form of presentation. The words chosen to describe what is happening merge into a single canvas and form extraordinary beauty and then same time of simplicity text.

8. Victor Hugo “Notre Dame Cathedral”. Another work from the list of world classics. It is the first historical novel written in French. Based on its plot, a magnificent musical was staged, which was repeatedly covered by various performers, as well as two operas and a ballet. In addition, film adaptations of the work were repeatedly filmed. The whole plot revolves around Quasimodo, who is in love with Esmeralda. The work was written with the aim of preserving Notre Dame Cathedral, which was then planned to be demolished.

9. Honore de Balzac “Père Goriot”. The novel tells about Father Goriot, who has an unusually strong and sincere love for his children. However, the attitude of the children turned out to be completely different, and the old man ended up in a boarding house. It is from there that the story of a deeply unhappy man who was left abandoned in his old age begins. The novel raises acute social problems, and the disdainful attitude of the daughters is emphasized by the pronounced respect from a complete stranger - Rastignac.

10. Stendhal “Red and Black” . Returns the reader to France after the July Revolution. Main character— Julien Sorel - trying to build his career and has a great chance of growth in churches. However, women ruin him- he not only didn’t achieves what he wants, but And he himself dies because of his addiction. The novel has been filmed several times and is considered the predecessor of such a genre as psychological realism.

This list can be continued indefinitely. Many popular classic works came from the pens of French authors.

Separately, it is worth noting a number of interesting works in the fantasy genre. Despite the fact that most of the famous writers of this genre come from the United States, France also pleases with interesting ideas.

Among the popular classics of fantasy are the books by Maurice Renard "Doctor Lern, Demigod", Bernard Werber's "Paradise to Order" and Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island". And Pierre Boulle’s work “Planet of the Apes” has been filmed several times and has gained particular popularity even among those people who are not fond of the fantasy genre.

Books in French for beginners - easy language learning

One of the most popular ways to learn a language today is to read literature in the original language. This is very difficult, but it is through such reading that you can effectively expand your vocabulary and gain the so-called “feeling” of the language.

You should select literature depending on your level of knowledge and vocabulary size. Therefore, it is better to start reading with small and simple works. It is preferable to learn the language from children's books. It uses the simplest vocabulary that is often found in everyday life.

Often the works of the above-mentioned Antoine de Saint-Exupéry are used to teach the French language. Stories by Rene Gascinni and children's books like The Funny Adventures of Rudud and Rikiki are also popular.

As your knowledge expands, you can move on to more voluminous and complex works. It is best to select literature based on genre. Fairy tales, stories and various everyday stories are perfect for starting learning. Over time, it will be possible to move on to more complex and voluminous works.

It is also worth considering the time when a particular book was written. Stories and novels of the nineteenth century most often contain phrases that are no longer used in modern speech. If you pick up vocabulary based on such literature, there is a high risk of looking funny and ridiculous.

It is preferable to learn a language from works of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This will not only fill the dictionary with the most relevant words, but will also make reading much easier.

The best children's books in French

Among French literature there are many wonderful children's stories and fairy tales. They are perfect for school use. For this purpose, books in the original language are used.

In addition to purely French literature, you can use French versions of fairy tales already known to you, such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp”, “Sleeping Beauty” and others. A familiar plot will make reading much easier, even if there are a lot of unfamiliar words.

If French is unfamiliar to you, you can find the Russian version. There are many collections of children's stories with translation.

Among the best French children's writers are the following authors:

• Charles Perrault;
• Madame d'Aunoy;
• George Sand;
• Sophia Segur;
• Rene Goscinny.

Every year on March 20, International Francophonie Day is celebrated. This day is dedicated to the French language, which is spoken by more than 200 million people around the world.

We took advantage of this opportunity and propose to remember the best French writers of our time, representing France in the international book arena.

Frederic Beigbeder . Prose writer, publicist, literary critic and editor. His literary works, with descriptions of modern life, a person's tossing around in the world of money and love experiences, very quickly won fans around the world. The most sensational books, “Love Lives for Three Years” and “99 Francs,” were even filmed. The novels “Memoirs of an Unreasonable Young Man”, “Holidays in a Coma”, “Stories on Ecstasy”, “Romantic Egoist” also brought well-deserved fame to the writer. Over time, Beigbeder founded his own literary award, the Flora Prize.

Michel Houellebecq . One of the most widely read French writers of the early 21st century. His books have been translated into a good three dozen languages, and he is extremely popular among young people. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the writer managed to touch on the pain points of modern life. His novel “Elementary Particles” (1998) received the Grand Prix, and “Map and Territory” (2010) received the Prix Goncourt. They were followed by “Platform”, “Lanzarote”, “The Possibility of an Island”, etc., and each of these books became a bestseller.

The writer's new novel"Submission" tells of the collapse of the modern political system of France in the near future. The author himself defined the genre of his novel as “political fiction.” The action takes place in 2022. A Muslim president comes to power democratically, and the country begins to change before our eyes...

Bernard Werber . Cult science fiction writer and philosopher. His name on the cover of the book means only one thing - a masterpiece! The total worldwide circulation of his books is more than 10 million! The writer is best known for the trilogies “Ants”, “Thanatonautes”, “We Gods” and “The Third Humanity”. His books have been translated into many languages, and seven novels have become bestsellers in Russia, Europe, America and Korea. The author has won a lot of literary awards, incl. Jules Verne Prize.

One of the most sensational books of the writer -"Empire of Angels" , where fantasy, mythology, mysticism and the real life of ordinary people intertwine. The main character of the novel goes to heaven, undergoes the “Last Judgment” and becomes an angel on Earth. According to heavenly rules, he is given three human clients, whose lawyer he must subsequently become at the Last Judgment...

Guillaume Musso . A relatively young writer, very popular among French readers. Each of his new works becomes a bestseller, and films are made based on his works. The deep psychologism, piercing emotionality and vivid figurative language of the books fascinate readers all over the world. The action of his adventure and psychological novels takes place all over the world - in France, the USA and other countries. Following the heroes, readers go on adventures full of dangers, investigate mysteries, plunge into the abyss of the heroes’ passions, which, of course, gives a reason to look into their inner world.

Based on the writer's new novel"Because I love you" - the tragedy of one family. Mark and Nicole were happy until their little daughter - their only, long-awaited and adored child - disappeared...

Mark Levy . One of the most famous novelists, whose works have been translated into dozens of languages ​​and published in huge editions. The writer is a laureate of the national Goya Prize. Steven Spielberg paid two million dollars for the rights to film his first novel, Between Heaven and Earth.

Literary critics note the versatility of the author’s work. In his books - “Seven Days of Creation”, “Meet Again”, “Everyone Wants to Love”, “Leave to Return”, “Stronger than Fear”, etc. - the theme of selfless love and sincere friendship, the secrets of old mansions and intrigue is often encountered , reincarnation and mysticism, unexpected twists in storylines.

Writer's new book"She and He" is one of the best novels of 2015. This romantic story is about irresistible and unpredictable love.

Anna Gavalda . A famous writer who captivated the world with her novels and their exquisite, poetic style. She is called the “star of French literature” and “the new Francoise Sagan.” Her books have been translated into dozens of languages, awarded a whole constellation of awards, and they have been used for performances and films. Each of her works is a story about love and how it adorns every person.
In 2002, the writer’s first novel, “I Loved Her, I Loved Him,” was published. But this was all just a prelude to the real success that the book brought her"Just Together" , which eclipsed even Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code” in France.This is an incredibly wise and kind book about love and loneliness, about life and, of course, happiness.

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 are 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.