François Mauriac

1885–1970

1 standalone book

François Mauriac (1885–1970) was a French author known for his novels set in Bordeaux or the Landes district of southwestern France. Born on November 11, 1885, in Bordeaux, he came from a prosperous middle-class family. His mother, a stern and puritanical Catholic, influenced his literary works. Educated at a Catholic school and Bordeaux University, he moved to Paris in 1906 and published his first poetry volume in 1909. He was mobilized as an army medical orderly in 1914 and was invalided out three years later. His most productive years as a novelist began in 1920, with works including Le Baiser au lépreux and Thérèse Desqueyroux. A religious crisis in 1928 led to a shift in his themes, emphasizing divine grace. He was elected to the French Academy in 1933 and wrote political articles during and after World War II. He received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1952 and authored over 60 books, including novels, plays, and essays. He died on September 1, 1970. His work focused on the clash between sin and religious salvation, often set in the Landes region during the early 20th century.

Born

1885