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List of French novelists. This is a list of novelists from France. Novelists in this list should be notable in some way, and have Wikipedia articles on them. See also French novelists Category Index. Born before 1800. Honoré d'Urfé (1568–1625) Charles Sorel (c. 1602–1674) Madeleine de Scudéry (1607–1701)
- Victor Hugo
- Alexandre Dumas
- Voltaire
- Honoré de Balzac
- George Sand
- Emile Zola
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Jean-Paul Sartre
- Simone de Beauvoir
- Albert Camus
One of France’s most famous writers has to be Victor Hugo. With a career spanning over 60 years, he wrote everything from poetryto satire, critical essays and historical odysseys. His most popular works that have been translated into over 60 languages have to be Les Miserables and Hunchback of Notre Dame (which was not intended to be a children’s t...
From the Comte of Monte Cristo to the Three Muskateers, Alexandre Dumasis one of the most well-known authors in France. His full name was Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, and he was born as the grandson of a French Marquis and an enslaved woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. Born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti), his father was considered m...
Going by a single nom de plume(pen name) is Voltaire, whose real name was François-Marie Arouet. A prolific writer, he produced works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, and even scientific expositions. Among his most famous books is Letters to England and Candide. One of the key voices of the 1789 Fren...
French writer Honoré de Balzac is most well known for his opus La Comédie Humaine. While he wrote plenty of other novels and plays, it is his observation of the human condition in la Comédie Humainethat really put him on the map. Rather than a novel, it is a collection of short stories containing 91 finished works, including a variety of stories, n...
One of the most popular female writers in Francein her lifetime is Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, better known as George Sand. Choosing to wear male attire in public, she was a huge advocate for women’s rights and the working class. She even started her own newspaper, and her political writings brought her much attention. (She also openly had many f...
French Novelist Émile Zola wrote many short stories, essays and books. However, his most famous work is probably a newspaper article called “J’accuse“, meaning “I accuse”. It was written in defense of a Jewish officer in the French army, Alfred Dreyfus who was falsely accused of being a spy. Anti-semitism was rampant, and Dreyfus was put on trial, ...
The incontournable of French books always has to be Le Petit Prince. And the author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, is another one of the notable French writers honored at the Panthéon. At first glance, le Petit Prince seems like a book for small children. However, once you start to read it, the layers of wisdom that the book doles out are worthy of rea...
French Writer Jean-Paul Sartre was philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and political activist. Born in Paris, he was also the partner of another famous French writer-philosopher and feminist, Simone de Beauvoir. He and Simone met in university, and lived in Paris under the German Reich occupation during World War II. A liberal with sym...
French writer and female activistSimone de Beauvoir became famous for her writings on both feminist theory and feminist existentialism. France would grant women the right to vote during her lifetime in 1946, due to the advocacy work of writers and philosophers like her. Among her most famous books was the 1949 treatise The Second Sex, a detailed an...
One of the most famous French writers, Albert Camus was born in French Algeria to Pieds Noirsparents, eventually studying philosophy at the University of Algiers. By the time he made it to in Paris, the Germans had invaded France during World War II. Camus joined the French Resistance where he served as editor-in-chief at Combat, an outlawed newspa...
List of French-language authors. Chronological list of French language authors (regardless of nationality), by date of birth. For an alphabetical list of writers of French nationality (broken down by genre), see French writers category .
- Victor Hugo. When discussing famous French writers, the first author who always comes to mind is Victor Hugo (1802-1865). Victor Hugo’s career lasted over 60 years, with his writing including poetry, essays, and satire.
- Honoré de Balzac. Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) was a great author of both plays and novels. He is best known for La Comédie Humaine, which shares 91 stories and essays.
- Émile Zola. During his career, Émile Zola (1940-1902) wrote a huge number of books, short stories, and essays. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in both 1901 and 1902, with some of his must-read works including Germinal, Thérèse Raquin and The Fortune of the Rougons.
- Marcel Proust. During the 20 century, Marcel Proust (1871-1922) was known as one of the top French writers, mainly commentating on the changes within society during this time.
- Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885) Place of Birth: Besançon, France. Notable Works: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Les Misérables. Victor Hugo is regarded as one of France’s greatest poets and the most important of the French Romantic writers.
- Honoré de Balzac (1799 – 1850) Place of Birth: Tours, France. Notable Works: Eugénie Grandet, Le Père Goriot, Colonel Chabert. Regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature, Honoré de Balzac is known for his complex and fully human characters.
- Marcel Proust (1871 – 1922) Place of Birth: Auteuil, France. Notable Works: In Search of Lost Time. Claimed by some to be the “greatest novelist of the 20th century” and his epic work – In Search of Lost Time – called the novel the “greatest fiction to date,” Marcel Proust is said to have nailed the dynamics of human behavior and across class boundaries.
- Alexandre Dumas (1802 – 1870) Place of Birth: Villers-Cotterêts, France. Notable Works: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers. Alexandre Dumas penned some 100,000 pages over his lifetime, which include novels, plays, magazine articles, and even travel books.
Mar 1, 2024 · The Best French Authors. Updated March 1, 2024 68 items. Ranked By. 6.4K votes. 924 voters. 2 reranks. Voting Rules. Top French writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays. A list of the best French authors that have provided works of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction that have become classics.
Feb 27, 2023 · Want to learn more about French authors who impacted the French art and literary world? This post will give you a list of the most famous French writers! Over the years, France has produced some great writers and some of the finest works in the literary world.
