Anatole France

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Lore & Background

France was the son of a bookseller and spent most of his life around books. His father's bookstore specialised in books and papers on the French Revolution and was frequented by many writers and scholars. France studied at the Collège Stanislas, a private Catholic school, and after graduation helped his father by working in his bookstore. After several years, he secured the position of cataloguer at Bacheline-Deflorenne and at Lemerre. In 1876, he was appointed librarian for the French Senate. France began his literary career as a poet and a journalist. In 1869, Le Parnasse contemporain published one of his poems, "La Part de Madeleine". In 1875, he sat on the committee in charge of the third Parnasse contemporain compilation. He became known with the novel Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), which won him a prize from the Académie Française. He was elected to the Académie Française in 1896. France took part in the Dreyfus affair, signing Émile Zola's manifesto supporting Alfred Dreyfus. He wrote about the affair in his 1901 novel Monsieur Bergeret. His later works include Penguin Island (L'Île des Pingouins, 1908), which satirises human nature by depicting the transformation of penguins into humans after they are baptized by mistake; The Gods Are Athirst (Les dieux ont soif, 1912), set in Paris during the French Revolution about a follower of Robespierre; and The Revolt of the Angels (La Révolte des Anges, 1914), often considered his most profound and ironic novel, loosely based on the War in Heaven. In 1877, France married Valérie Guérin de Sauville, a granddaughter of Jean-Urbain Guérin, a miniaturist who painted Louis XVI. Their daughter Suzanne was born in 1881 (and died in 1918). In 1888 he began a relationship with Madame Arman de Caillavet, which lasted until shortly before her death in 1910. After his divorce in 1893, France had many liaisons, notably with Laura Gagey, who committed suicide in 1911 after he abandoned her. In 1920, France married his housekeeper Emma Laprévotte. France had socialist sympathies and was an outspoken supporter of the 1917 Russian Revolution. In 1920, he gave his support to the newly founded French Communist Party.

Reader's Guide

Anatole France's significance lies in his role as a leading French literary figure of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for his ironic and skeptical style. His works, such as Penguin Island and The Gods Are Athirst, satirize human nature, political fanaticism, and religious dogma. France's participation in the Dreyfus affair and his socialist sympathies reflect his engagement with social and political issues. His legacy includes being widely believed to be the model for Bergotte in Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time. The Catholic Church placed his entire works on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum on 31 May 1922, which France regarded as a "distinction". George Orwell defended France, stating his work remained very readable and that "it is unquestionable that he was attacked partly from political motives". France died on 12 October 1924 and is buried in the Neuilly-sur-Seine Old Communal Cemetery near Paris.

Did You Know?

• France's father's bookstore specialised in books and papers on the French Revolution and was frequented by many writers and scholars.
• France was appointed librarian for the French Senate in 1876.
• On 31 May 1922, France's entire works were put on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum of the Catholic Church, which he regarded as a 'distinction'.
• France famously wrote in The Red Lily: 'The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal loaves of bread.'
• France was an outspoken supporter of the 1917 Russian Revolution and gave his support to the newly founded French Communist Party in 1920.