French literature of the 20th century

French literature of the twentieth century is, for the purpose of this article, literature written in French from (roughly) 1895 to 1990. This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Medieval French literature is for the purpose of this article Literature written in Oïl languages (particularly Old French and early Middle For more information on historical developments in this period see Renaissance, History of France, and Early Modern France. French literature of the 17th century &mdashthe so-called Grand Siècle &mdashspans the reigns of Henry IV of France, the Regency of Marie de Medici French literature of the 18th century usually refers to the literature written between 1715, the year of the death of King Louis XIV of France, and 1798 the year French literature of the nineteenth century is for the purpose of this article literature written in French from (roughly 1799 to 1900 Contemporary French literature is French literature roughly from the 1990s to Today. Francophone literature is Literature written in the French language. This is an article about Literature in Quebec. 16th and 17th centuries During this period the society of New France was being Post-colonial literature (or "Postcolonial literature" sometimes called "New English literature(s" is a body of literary writings that reacts to the discourse The Culture of Haiti encompasses a variety of Haitian traditions from native Taino customs to practices imported during French colonisation and Spanish Chronological list of French language authors (regardless of nationality by date of birth French poetry is a category of French literature. It may include Francophone poetry composed outside France and poetry written in other Languages of French science fiction is a substantial genre within French literature. Franco-Belgian comics are Comics that are created in Belgium and France. The Fantastique is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with Science fiction, horror and Fantasy Naturalism is a movement in Theatre, film, and Literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century Art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives and that this essence follows from their existence The nouveau roman ( French: "new novel" is a type of 1950s French Novel that diverged from classical literary genres The Theatre of the Absurd ( French: Théâtre de l'Absurde) is a designation for particular plays written by a number of primarily European Playwrights Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of Literature and of the methods for analyzing literature Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his Stage name, Molière, ( January 15, 1622 – February 17 1673) was a French Jean Racine ( ( December 22, 1639 &ndash April 21, 1699) was a French Dramatist, one of the "big three" of Henri-Marie Beyle ( January 23, 1783 &ndash March 23, 1842) better known by his Pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century Gustave Flaubert (gystaːv flobɛːʁ in French ( December 12, 1821 &ndash May 8, 1880) was a French writer who is counted among Émile François Zola ( (2 April 1840 &ndash 29 September 1902 was an influential French Writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (maʁsɛl pʁust (10 July 1871 &ndash 18 November 1922 was a French Novelist Essayist and Critic Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize For literature made after 1990, see the article Contemporary French literature. Contemporary French literature is French literature roughly from the 1990s to Today. Many of the developments in French literature in this period parallel changes in the visual arts. For more on this, see French art of the 20th century. French art of the 20th century, part of the French art history series covers the history of the visual and plastic arts in France in the twentieth century

1 Overview
2 From 1895 to 1914
3 From 1914 to 1945
4 Literature after World War II
5 References
6 Notes
7 See also

Overview

Twentieth century French literature was profoundly shaped by the historical events of the century and was also shaped by -- and a contributor to -- the century's political, philosophical, moral, and artistic crises.

This period spans the last decades of the Third Republic (1871-1940) (including World War I), the period of World War II (the German occupation and the Vichy Regime (1940-1944)), the provisional French government (1944-1946) the Fourth Republic (1946-1958) and the Fifth Republic (1959-). The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 The founding of the Fourth Republic (1944-47 See also Three Parties, Third Force (France European Unity The creation of the See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on Important historical events for French literature include: the Dreyfus Affair; French colonialism and imperialism in Africa, the Far East (French Indochina) and the Pacific; the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962); the important growth of the French Communist Party; the rise of Fascism in Europe; the events of May 1968. The Dreyfus Affair a Political scandal which divided France from the 1890s to the early 1900s First French interventions See also France-Vietnam relations France-Vietnam relations started as early as the 17th century with the mission of the Jesuit The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology For more on French history, see History of France. The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the list to the right

Twentieth century French literature did not undergo an isolated development and reveals the influence of writers and genres from around the world, including Walt Whitman, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Franz Kafka, John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Luigi Pirandello, the British and American detective novel, James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, Bertold Brecht and many others. Walter Whitman (May 31 1819 &ndash March 26 1892 was an American poet, Essayist journalist, and humanist. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, John Roderigo Dos Passos ( January 14, 1896 &ndash September 28, 1970) was an American Novelist and artist Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21 1899 — July 2 1961 was an American novelist short-story writer, and Journalist. William Faulkner (born William Cuthbert Falkner) ( September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American Author Luigi Pirandello ( June 28, 1867 — December 10, 1936) was an Italian Dramatist Novelist, and short Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. In turn, French literature has also had a radical impact on world literature.

Because of the creative spirit of the French literary and artistic movements at the beginning of the century, France gained the reputation as being the necessary destination for writers and artists. Important foreign writers who have lived and worked in France (especially Paris) in the twentieth century include: Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, William S. Burroughs, Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Julio Cortázar, Vladimir Nabokov, Eugène Ionesco. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of Gertrude Stein ( February 3, 1874 &ndash July 27, 1946) was an American Writer who spent most of her life in France Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21 1899 — July 2 1961 was an American novelist short-story writer, and Journalist. William Seward Burroughs II ( – ˈbʌroʊz was an American Novelist, Essayist, Social critic, painter and Spoken word Henry Valentine Miller (December 26 1891 &ndash June 7 1980 was an American writer and painter. Anaïs Nin ana'iːs nin (born Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell) ( February 21 1903 - January 14 1977) was James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet Julio Cortázar, born Jules Florencio Cortázar ( August 26, 1914 &ndash February 12, 1984) was an Argentine Author This page is about the novelist For his father the politician see Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. Eugène Ionesco, born Eugen Ionescu ( November 26, 1909 – March 28, 1994 Some of the most important works of the century in French were written by foreign authors (Eugène Ionesco, Samuel Beckett).

For Americans in the 1920s and 1930s (including the so-called "Lost Generation"), part of the fascination with France was also linked to freedom from Prohibition. The ' Lost Generation' is a phrase made popular by American author Ernest Hemingway in his first published novel The Sun Also Rises. Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol For African-Americans in the twentieth century (such as James Baldwin), France was also more accepting of race and permitted greater freedom (in a similar way, Jazz was embraced by the French faster than in some areas in America). James Arthur Baldwin ( August 2, 1924 – November 30, 1987) was an American Novelist, Writer, Playwright A similar sense of freedom from political oppression or from intolerance (such as anti-homosexual discrimination) has drawn other authors and writers to France. France has also been more permissive in terms of censorship, and many important foreign language novels were originally published in France while being banned in America: Joyce's Ulysses (published by Sylvia Beach in Paris, 1922), Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita and William S. Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920 Sylvia Beach ( March 14 1887 – October 5 1962) born Nancy Woodbridge Beach in her father's Parsonage in Baltimore Lolita (1955 is a Novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris, later translated by the author Burroughs's Naked Lunch (both published by Olympia Press), and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer (published by Obelisk Press). Naked Lunch (sometimes referred to as The Naked Lunch) is a novel by William S Olympia Press was a Paris -based Publisher, launched in 1953 by Maurice Girodias as a rebadged version of the Obelisk Press he inherited from Tropic of Cancer is a Novel by Henry Miller, first published in 1934 by Obelisk Press in Paris and still in print Obelisk Press was an English language press based in Paris France, which was founded by Jack Kahane in 1929

From 1895 to 1914

The early years of the century (often called the "Belle époque") saw radical experiments in all genres and Symbolism and Naturalism underwent profound changes. The Belle Époque (bɛːl e'pɔk French for "Beautiful Era" was a period in European history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century Art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts Naturalism is a movement in Theatre, film, and Literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such

Alfred Jarry united symbolism with elements from marionette theater and a kind of proto-surrealism. Alfred Jarry ( 8 September 1873 &ndash 1 November 1907) was a French Writer born in Laval, Mayenne The stage was further radicalised both in the direction of expressionism (the "théâtre de l'oeuvre" of Aurélien Lugné-Poe) and hyper-realism (the theater of André Antoine). Aurelien François Marie Lugné-Poe (1869 - 1940 was a French Actor and Theatre director. André Antoine can refer to André Antoine (actor (1858 - 1943 French André Antoine (politician (born 1960 Belgian The theater director Jacques Copeau emphasized training an actor to be a complete person and rejected the Italian stage for something closer to the Elizabethan model, and his vision would have a profound impact on the "Cartel" of the 1920s and 1930s (see below). Jacques Copeau ( February 4 1879 &ndash October 20 1949) was an influential French theatre director producer actor and Dramatist

Guillaume Apollinaire radicalized the Baudelairian poetic exploration of modern life in evoking planes, the Eiffel Tower and urban wastelands, and he brought poetry into contact with cubism through his Calligrammes, a form of visual poetry. Guillaume Apollinaire (in French ɡijom apɔliˈnɛʁ ( August 26, 1880 &ndash November 9, 1918) was a French Poet Visual poetry, is Poetry or Art in which the visual arrangement of text images and symbols is important in conveying the intended effect of the work Inspired by Rimbaud, Paul Claudel used a form of free verse to explore his mystical conversion to Catholicism. Paul Claudel ( 6 August 1868 &ndash 23 February 1955) was a French Poet, Dramatist and Diplomat, Other poets from this period include: Paul Valéry, Max Jacob (a key member of the group around Apollinaire), Pierre Jean Jouve (a follower of Romain Rolland's "Unanism"), Valery Larbaud (a translator of Whitman and friend to Joyce), Victor Segalen (friend to Huysmans and Claudel), Léon-Paul Fargue (who studied with Stéphane Mallarmé and was close to Valéry and Larbaud). Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry (French pɔl valeˈʁi October 30, 1871 – July 20, 1945) was a French Poet Max Jacob ( July 12, 1876 &ndash March 5, 1944) was a French Poet, painter, Writer, and critic Pierre Jean Jouve (1887 - 1976 was a French writer novelist and poet Valery Larbaud ( 29 August, 1881 Vichy – 2 February, 1957 Vichy) was a French Writer. Victor Segalen ( January 14, 1878 - May 21, 1919) was a French naval doctor Ethnographer, Archeologist, writer Léon-Paul Fargue ( March 4, 1876 - November 24, 1947) was a French Poet and essayist Stéphane Mallarmé (malaʁ'me ( March 18, 1842 – September 9, 1898) whose real name was Étienne Mallarmé, was a French

In the novel, André Gide's early works, especially L'Immoraliste (1902), pursue the problems of freedom and sensuality that symbolism had posed; Alain-Fournier's novel Le Grand Meaulnes is a deeply felt portrait of a nostalgic past. Alain-Fournier was the Pseudonym of Henri Alban-Fournier ( October 3, 1886 &ndash September 22, 1914) a French Le Grand Meaulnes is the only novel by French author Alain-Fournier.

But radical experimentation was not appreciated by all literary and artistic circles in the early century. Popular and bourgeois tastes were relatively conservative. The poetic dramas of Edmond Rostand, especially Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897, were immensely popular at the turn of the century, as too the "well-made" plays and bourgeois farces of Georges Feydeau. Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand ( April 1, 1868 &ndash December 2, 1918) was a French Poet and Dramatist. Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand based on the life of the real Cyrano de Bergerac. Georges Feydeau, ( 8 December 1862 - 5 June 1921) was a French Playwright of the Era known as La Belle Epoque Anatole France, Maurice Barrès, Paul Bourget were leading authors of the period who employed fiction as a convenient vehicle for ideas about men and things. Anatole France (16 April 1844—12 October 1924 born François-Anatole Thibault, Anatole France studied at the Collège Stanislas and after graduation Maurice Barrès ( 19 August 1862 - 4 December 1923) was a French novelist, journalist, and anti-semite Paul Charles Joseph Bourget ( September 2, 1852 &ndash December 25, 1935) was a French Novelist and Critic. The tradition of the Balzac and Zola inspired roman-fleuve continued to exert a profound attraction, as in Romain Rolland's Jean-Christophe (1906 - 1912). A novel sequence is a set or series of Novels which share common themes characters or settings but where each novel has its own title and free-standing storyline and can thus Romain Rolland ( 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French Dramatist, Essayist, Art historian

Popular fiction and genre fiction at the start of the century also included detective fiction, like the mysteries of the author and journalist Gaston Leroux who is credited with the first "locked-room puzzle" -- The Mystery of the Yellow Room, featuring the amateur detective Joseph Rouletabille (1908) -- and the immensely popular The Phantom of the Opera (1910). Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux ( 6 May, 1868, Paris France &ndash 15 April, 1927) was a French Journalist The Phantom of the Opera (in French, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a French Novel by Gaston Leroux.

From 1914 to 1945

The folly of the First World War generated even more radical tendencies. The Dada movement -- which began in a café in Switzerland in 1916 -- came to Paris in 1920, but by 1924 the writers around Paul Eluard, André Breton, Louis Aragon and Robert Desnos -- heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud's notion of the unconscious -- had modified dada provocation into Surrealism. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Paul Éluard was the Pen name of Eugène Émile Paul Grindel ( 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952) a French André Breton (in French ɑ̃dʀe bʀəˈtɔ̃ ( February 19, 1896 &ndash September 28, 1966) was a French Writer, Louis Aragon lwi aʁaˈgɔ̃ in French ( October 3, 1897 &ndash December 24, 1982) French Poet and Novelist Robert Desnos ( 4 July 1900 - 8 June 1945) was a French Surrealist poet who played a key role in the surrealistic movement of his day Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Many observers throughout history have argued that there are influences on Consciousness from other parts of the Mind. Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members In writing and in the visual arts, and by using automatic writing, creative games (like the cadavre exquis) and altered states (through alcohol and narcotics), the surrealists tried to reveal the workings of the unconscious mind. Automatic writing is the process or product of writing material that does not come from the conscious thoughts of the writer Exquisite corpse (also known as "exquisite cadaver" or "rotating corpse" is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled the result The group championed previous writers they saw as radical (Arthur Rimbaud, the Comte de Lautréamont, Baudelaire, Raymond Roussel) and promoted an anti-bourgeois philosophy (particularly with regards to sex and politics) which would later lead most of them to join the communist party. "Rimbaud" redirects here For other uses see Rimbaud (disambiguation Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (ræm'boʊ or in French aʁtyʁ Comte de Lautréamont (lotʁeaˈmɔ̃ in French was the Pen name of Isidore Lucien Ducasse ( April 4 Raymond Roussel ( Paris, January 20, 1877 - Palermo, July 14, 1933) was a French Poet, Novelist Other writers associated with surrealism include: Jean Cocteau, René Crevel, Jacques Prévert, Jules Supervielle, Benjamin Péret, Philippe Soupault, Pierre Reverdy, Antonin Artaud (who revolutionized theater), Henri Michaux and René Char. Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 &ndash 11 October 1963 was a French Poet, Novelist, Dramatist, Designer, Boxing René Crevel ( August 10, 1900 – June 18, 1935) was a French Writer involved with the surrealist movement Jacques Prévert (ʒak pʀeˈvɛʀ in French February 4, 1900 - April 11, 1977) was a French Poet and Screenwriter Jules Supervielle ( January 16 1884 - May 17 1960) was a French Poet and Writer born in Uruguay Benjamin Péret ( 4 July 1899 - 18 September 1959) was a French poet and Surrealist. Philippe Soupault ( 2 August 1897 &ndash 12 March 1990) was a French writer and poet novelist critic and political activist Pierre Reverdy ( 13 September 1889 - 17 June 1960) was a French poet associated with Surrealism and Cubism. Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud ( September 4, 1896, in Marseille – March 4, 1948 in Henri Michaux ( May 24, 1899 - October 18, 1984) was a highly idiosyncratic Belgian Poet, Writer and painter René Char ( June 14, 1907 &ndash February 19, 1988) was a 20th century French Poet. The surrealist movement would continue to be a major force in experimental writing and the international art world until the Second World War. The surrealists technique was particularly well suited for poetry and theater, although Breton, Aragon and Cocteau wrote longer prose works as well, such as Breton's novel Nadja.

The effects of surrealism would later also be felt among authors who were not strictly speaking part of the movement, such as the poet Alexis Saint-Léger Léger (who wrote under the name Saint-John Perse), the poet Edmond Jabès (who came to France in 1956 when the Jewish population was expelled from his native Egypt) and Georges Bataille. Saint-John Perse (pseudonym of Alexis Léger, also Alexis Saint-Léger Léger) ( 31 May, 1887 &ndash 20 September, 1975 Edmond Jabès ( Cairo, 1912 &ndash Paris, January 2 1991 was a Jewish writer and poet and one of the best known literary figures to write in French after Georges Bataille (ʒɔʀʒ baˈtaj ( September 10, 1897 &ndash July 8, 1962) was a French Writer. The Swiss writer Blaise Cendrars was close to Apollinaire, Pierre Reverdy, Max Jacob and the artists Chagall and Léger, and his work has similarities with both surrealism and cubism. Frédéric Louis Sauser ( September 1, 1887 &ndash January 21, 1961) better known as Blaise Cendrars, was a Swiss novelist and poet

The traditional novel in the early half of the century went through further changes. Louis-Ferdinand Céline's novels -- such as Voyage au bout de la nuit (Journey to the End of Night) -- used an elliptical, oral and slang-derived style to rail against the hypocrisies and moral lapses of his generation (his anti-semitic tracts in the 1940s however lead to his condemnation for collaboration). Louis-Ferdinand Céline was the Pen name of French writer and doctor Louis-Ferdinand Destouches (27 May 1894 &ndash 1 July 1961 Journey to the End of the night is a 2006 film starring Brendan Fraser. Georges Bernanos's novels used other formal techniques (like the "journal form") to further psychological exploration. Georges Bernanos ( February 20 1888, Paris – July 5 1948, Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French author and a soldier Psychological analysis was also central to François Mauriac's novels, although he would come to be seen by Sartre as representative of an outdated fatalism. François Mauriac ( October 11, 1885 — September 1, 1970) was a French Author; member of the Jules Romains's 27 volume novel Les Hommes de bonne volonté (1932-1946), Roger Martin du Gard's eight-part novel cycle Les Thibault (1922-1940), and Marcel Proust's seven-part masterpiece À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time, 1913-1927) expanded on the roman-fleuve model. Jules Romains, born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule ( August 26, 1885 - August 14, 1972) was a French poet and writer and the Roger Martin du Gard ( March 23, 1881 - August 22, 1958) was a French author and winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature. Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (maʁsɛl pʁust (10 July 1871 &ndash 18 November 1922 was a French Novelist Essayist and Critic In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past (À la recherche du temps perdu is a semi-autobiographical A novel sequence is a set or series of Novels which share common themes characters or settings but where each novel has its own title and free-standing storyline and can thus André Gide continued to experiment with the novel, and his most sophisticated exploration of the limits of the traditional novel are found in The Counterfeiters, a novel ostensibly about a writer trying to write a novel. The Counterfeiters ( Les faux-monnayeurs) is a 1925 novel by French author André Gide, first published in Nouvelle Revue Française

Theater in the 1920s and 1930s went through further changes in a loose association of theaters (called the "Cartel") around the directors and producers Louis Jouvet, Charles Dullin, Gaston Baty and Ludmila and Georges Pitoëff. Louis Jouvet ( December 24, 1887 - August 16, 1951) was a renowned French actor and producer Charles Dullin ( May 8, 1885 Yenne, Savoie - December 11, 1949, Paris) was a French Actor Gaston Baty ( May 26, 1885 - October 13, 1952) whose full name was Jean-Baptiste-Marie-Gaston Baty, was a French Playwright They produced works by the French writers Jean Giraudoux, Jules Romains, Jean Anouilh and Jean-Paul Sartre, and also of Greek and Shakespearian theater, and works by Luigi Pirandello, Anton Chekov and George Bernard Shaw. Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux ( August 15, 1882 &ndash January 31, 1944) was a French Novelist, Essayist, Diplomat Jules Romains, born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule ( August 26, 1885 - August 14, 1972) was a French poet and writer and the Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (ʒɑ̃ anwi June 23, 1910 &ndash October 3, 1987) was a French Dramatist. Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (21 June 1905 &ndash 15 April 1980 commonly known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (ʒɑ̃ pol saʁtʁə was a French Luigi Pirandello ( June 28, 1867 — December 10, 1936) was an Italian Dramatist Novelist, and short Anton Pavlovich Chekhov ( –) (Анто́н Па́влович Че́хов) was a Russian short-story writer and Playwright, considered to be one George Bernard Shaw ( (26 July 1856 &ndash 2 November 1950 was an Irish Playwright.

In the late 1930s, the works of Hemingway, Faulkner and Dos Passos came to be translated into French, and their prose style had a profound impact on the work of writers like Jean-Paul Sartre, André Malraux and Albert Camus. Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (21 June 1905 &ndash 15 April 1980 commonly known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (ʒɑ̃ pol saʁtʁə was a French André Malraux (3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976 was a French Author, adventurer and Statesman, and a dominant figure in French politics and culture Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize Sartre, Camus, Malraux and Simone de Beauvoir (who is also famous as one of the forerunners of Feminist writing) are often called "existentialist writers", a reference to Sartre's philosophy of Existentialism (although Camus refused the title "existentialist"). "La Beauvoir" redirects here also see Beauvoir (disambiguation Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives and that this essence follows from their existence Sartre's theater, novels and short stories often show individuals forced to confront their freedom or doomed for their refusal to act. Malraux's novels of Spain and China during the civil wars confront individual action with historical forces. Similar issues appear in the novels of Henri Troyat. Henri Troyat, born Levon Aslan Torossian or Lev Aslanovich Tarasov (rus Лев Асланович Тарасов) ( November 1, 1911

The 1930s and 1940s saw significant contributions by citizens of French colonies and Aimé Césaire, along with Léopold Sédar Senghor and Léon Damas created the literary review L'Étudiant Noir which was a forerunner of the Négritude movement. Aimé Fernand David Césaire (26 June 1913 &ndash 17 April 2008 was a Afro-[[Martinique Martinican]] Francophone Poet, Author and Politician Sir Léopold Sédar Senghor ( 9 October 1906 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese Poet, politician and cultural theorist who Léon-Gontran Damas ( March 28, 1912 - January 22, 1978) was a French Poet and Politician.

Literature after World War II

The 1950s and 1960s were highly turbulent times in France: despite a dynamic economy ("les trente glorieuses" or "30 Glorious Years"), the country was torn by their colonial heritage (Vietnam and Indochina, Algeria), by their collective sense of guilt from the Vichy Regime, by their desire for renewed national prestige (Gaullism), and by conservative social tendencies in education and industry. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 Gaullism (Gaullisme is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle.

Inspired by the theatrical experiments in the early half of the century and by the horrors of the war, the so-called avant-garde Parisian theater, "New Theater" or "Theatre of the Absurd" around the writers Eugène Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Arthur Adamov, Fernando Arrabal refused simple explanations and abandoned traditional characters, plots and staging. The Theatre of the Absurd ( French: Théâtre de l'Absurde) is a designation for particular plays written by a number of primarily European Playwrights Eugène Ionesco, born Eugen Ionescu ( November 26, 1909 – March 28, 1994 Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet Jean Genet (ʒɑ̃ ʒəˈnɛ in French ( –) was a prominent controversial French writer and later political activist. Arthur Adamov ( 23 August 1908 – 15 March 1970) was a Playwright, one of the foremost exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd Fernando Arrabal Terán (born August 11, 1932 in Melilla, Spain) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, Other experiments in theatre involved decentralisation, regional theater, "popular theater" (designed to bring working classes to the theater), and theater heavily influenced by Bertold Brecht (largely unknown in France before 1954), and the productions of Arthur Adamov and Roger Planchon. (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. Arthur Adamov ( 23 August 1908 – 15 March 1970) was a Playwright, one of the foremost exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd The Avignon festival was started in 1947 by Jean Vilar who was also important in the creation of the T. Jean Vilar ( March 25, 1912 - May 28, 1971) was a French man of the theatre who created in 1947 the Avignon theatre festival. N. P. or "Théâtre national populaire".

The French novel from the 1950s on went though a similar experimentation in the group of writers published by "Les Éditions de Minuit", a French publisher; this "Nouveau roman" ("new novel"), associated with Alain Robbe-Grillet, Marguerite Duras, Robert Pinget, Michel Butor, Samuel Beckett, Nathalie Sarraute, Claude Simon, also abandoned traditional plot, voice, characters and psychology. Les Éditions de Minuit ( Midnight Press) is a French publishing house which has its origins in the The nouveau roman ( French: "new novel" is a type of 1950s French Novel that diverged from classical literary genres Alain Robbe-Grillet (French alɛ̃ ʁɔb gʁiˈje (August 18 1922 &ndash February 18 2008 was a French Writer Marguerite Donnadieu, better known as Marguerite Duras (maʀgəʁit dyˈʁas in French ( April 4, 1914 – March 3, 1996) was a French Robert Pinget ( Geneva, July 19 1919 - Tours, August 25 1997) was a major avant-garde French Writer Michel Butor (French miʃɛl byˈtɔʀ (born 14 September, 1926) is a French writer Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet Nathalie Sarraute (French natali saˈʁot (born July 18, 1900 in Ivanovo, Russia – died October 19, 1999 in Paris Claude Simon ( 10 October, 1913 — 6 July, 2005) was a French novelist and the 1985 Nobel Laureate in Literature. To a certain degree, these developments closely paralleled changes in cinema in the same period (the Nouvelle Vague). "Nouvelle Vague" redirects here For the music group of the same name see Nouvelle Vague (band.

The writers Georges Perec, Raymond Queneau, Jacques Roubaud are associated with the creative movement Oulipo (founded in 1960) which uses elaborate mathematical strategies and constraints (such as lipograms and palindromes) as a means of triggering ideas and inspiration. Georges Perec ( 7 March 1936 &ndash 3 March 1982) was a highly-regarded French Raymond Queneau ( February 21, 1903 &ndash October 25, 1976) was a French Poet and Novelist and the co-founder Jacques Roubaud (born 1932) is a French Poet and Mathematician. Oulipo (pronounced oo-lee-PO stands for " Ou vroir de li ttérature po tentielle" which translates roughly as "workshop of potential literature" A lipogram (from Greek lipagrammatos, "missing letter" is a kind of Constrained writing or Word game consisting of writing paragraphs A palindrome is a word phrase number or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction (the adjustment of punctuation and spaces between words

Poetry in the post-war period followed a number of interlinked paths, most notably deriving from surrealism (such as with the early work of René Char), or from philosophical and phenomenological concerns stemming from Heidegger, Friedrich Hölderlin, existentialism, the relationship between poetry and the visual arts, and Stéphane Mallarmé's notions of the limits of language. René Char ( June 14, 1907 &ndash February 19, 1988) was a 20th century French Poet. Martin Heidegger ( September 26, 1889 &ndash May 26, 1976) (ˈmaɐ̯tiːn ˈhaɪ̯dɛgɐ was an influential German philosopher Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (ˈjoːhan ˈkrɪstiaːn ˈfriːdrɪç 'hœldərliːn in German March 20, 1770 &ndash June 6, 1843 Stéphane Mallarmé (malaʁ'me ( March 18, 1842 – September 9, 1898) whose real name was Étienne Mallarmé, was a French Another important influence was the German poet Paul Celan. Paul Celan (ˈpaʊl tseˈlaːn November 23, 1920 – approximately April 20, 1970) was the most frequently used Pseudonym of Poets concerned with these philosophical/language concerns -- especially concentrated around the review "L'Ephémère" -- include Yves Bonnefoy, André du Bouchet, Jacques Dupin, Roger Giroux and Philippe Jaccottet. Yves Bonnefoy (born June 24 1923 is a French poet and essayist André du Bouchet ( April 7 1924 – April 19 2001) was a French Poet. Jacques Dupin (born March 4, 1927) is a French Poet.He has lived in Paris since 1943 and written essays on Modern Art Roger Giroux (1925–1974 was a French Poet. Giroux's one book was awarded the Prix Max Jacob award Philippe Jaccottet (born in Moudon, Switzerland, on June 30 1925) is a Poet and Translator who publishes in French Many of these ideas were also key to the works of Maurice Blanchot. Maurice Blanchot ( September 22, 1907 &ndash February 20, 2003) was a French Writer, Philosopher, and The unique poetry of Francis Ponge exerted a strong influence on a variety of writers (both phenomenologists and those from the group "Tel Quel"). Francis Jean Gaston Alfred Ponge ( March 27, 1899 - August 6, 1988) was a French Essayist and Poet. Tel Quel (in English "as is" was an Avant-garde Journal for Literature, founded in 1960 in Paris (Éditions du Seuil by The later poets Claude Royet-Journoud, Anne-Marie Albiach, Emmanuel Hocquard, and to a degree Jean Daive, describe a shift from Heidegger to Ludwig Wittgenstein and a reevalution of Mallarmé's notion of fiction and theatricality; these poets were also influenced by certain English-language modern poets (such as Ezra Pound, Louis Zukofsky, William Carlos Williams, and George Oppen) along with certain American postmodern and avant garde poets loosely grouped around the language poetry movement (such as Michael Palmer, Keith Waldrop and Susan Howe; with her husband Keith Waldrop, Rosmarie Waldrop has a profound association with these poets, due in no small measure to her translations of Edmond Jabès and the prose of Paul Celan into English). Claude Royet-Journoud (born 1941 in Lyon France) is a contemporary French poet of the Avant-garde. Anne-Marie Albiach (born in 1937 is a contemporary French Poet and Translator. Emmanuel Hocquard (born in 1940 in Cannes) is a French Poet who grew up in Tangier, Morocco. Martin Heidegger ( September 26, 1889 &ndash May 26, 1976) (ˈmaɐ̯tiːn ˈhaɪ̯dɛgɐ was an influential German philosopher Ezra Weston Loomis Pound ( Hailey, Idaho Territory, United States October 30 1885 – Venice, Italy November 1 1972 was an American Expatriate Louis Zukofsky ( January 23, 1904 – May 12, 1978) was one of the most important second-generation American William Carlos Williams ( 17 September 1883 &ndash 4 March 1963) was an American poet closely associated with modernism George Oppen ( April 24, 1908 - July 7, 1984) was an American poet best known as one of the members of the Objectivist The Language poets (or L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets, after the magazine that bears that name are an Avant garde group or tendency in United States Michael Palmer (born May 11, 1943 in Manhattan, New York is a contemporary American poet and Translator. Keith Waldrop is the author of numerous books of poetry and prose and has translated the work of Claude Royet-Journoud, Anne-Marie Albiach, and Edmond Jabès Susan Howe (10 June 1937 in Boston Massachusetts is an American poet and critic who has been closely associated with the Language poets, among others Rosmarie Waldrop (born August 24, 1935) is a contemporary American poet, Translator and publisher Edmond Jabès ( Cairo, 1912 &ndash Paris, January 2 1991 was a Jewish writer and poet and one of the best known literary figures to write in French after Paul Celan (ˈpaʊl tseˈlaːn November 23, 1920 – approximately April 20, 1970) was the most frequently used Pseudonym of

The events of May 1968 marked a watershed in the development of a radical ideology of revolutionary change in education, class, family and literature. In theater, the conception of "création collective" developed by Ariane Mnouchkine's Théâtre du Soleil refused division into writers, actors and producers: the goal was for total collaboration, for multiple points of view, for an elimination of separation between actors and the public, and for the audience to seek out their own truth. Ariane Mnouchkine (born 1939 in Boulogne-sur-Seine) is a world-renowned French stage director.

The most important review of the post-1968 period -- "Tel Quel" -- is associated with the writers Philippe Sollers, Julia Kristeva, Georges Bataille, the poets Marcelin Pleynet and Denis Roche, the critics Roland Barthes, Gérard Genette and the philosophers Jacques Derrida, Jacques Lacan. Tel Quel (in English "as is" was an Avant-garde Journal for Literature, founded in 1960 in Paris (Éditions du Seuil by Philippe Sollers (born Philippe Joyaux 28 November 1936, Bordeaux, France) is a French writer and critic Julia Kristeva (Юлия Кръстева (born 24 June 1941) is a Bulgarian - French Philosopher, Literary critic, Georges Bataille (ʒɔʀʒ baˈtaj ( September 10, 1897 &ndash July 8, 1962) was a French Writer. Marcelin Pleynet was born in Lyon, France in 1933. Writer essayist poet he was Managing Editor of the influential magazine Tel Quel from Roland Barthes ( November 12, 1915 &ndash March 25, 1980) (ʀɔlɑ̃ baʀt was a French Literary critic, literary Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan (French ʒak lakɑ̃ ( April 13, 1901 &ndash September 9, 1981) was a French Psychoanalyst

Another post-1968 change was the birth of "Ecriture Féminine" promoted by the feminist Editions des Femmes, with new women writers as Chantal Chawaf, Hélène Cixous, Luce Irigaray. Chantal Chawaf (born 1943 is a French Writer. She was born in Paris, during the World War II. Hélène Cixous (born June 5 1937) is a Professor, French feminist Writer, Poet, Playwright, philosopher Luce Irigaray (born 1932 Belgium) is a French feminist, Philosopher, Linguist, psychoanalytic and cultural theorist . .

From the 1960s on, many of the most daring experiments in French literature have come from writers born in French overseas departments or former colonies. This Francophone literature includes the prize winning novels of Tahar ben Jelloun (Morroco), Patrick Chamoiseau (Martinique), Amin Maalouf (Lebanon) and Assia Djebar (Algeria). Francophone literature is Literature written in the French language. Tahar Ben Jelloun ( Arabic: طاهر بنجلون (born in Fes Morocco, December 1, 1944) is a Moroccan Poet and Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Patrick Chamoiseau is a French author from Martinique known for his work in the Créolité movement Martinique is an Island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, having a land area of 1128 km² Amin Maalouf ( أمين معلوف) born 25 February, 1949 in Beirut, is a Lebanese Author. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Assia Djebar Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's

References

Jean-Michel Maulpoix & Co.: Modern and contemporary french literature site maintained by French poet Jean-Michel Maulpoix

Contents

Overview

From 1895 to 1914

From 1914 to 1945

Literature after World War II

References

Notes

See also