About
Alain-Fournier, real name Henri-Alban Fournier, was a French writer born on October 3, 1886, in La Chapelle-d'Angillon and killed in action on September 22, 1914. Son of schoolteachers, he grew up in Sologne and Bas-Berry. His only completed novel, Le Grand Meaulnes (1913), blends symbolism and nostalgia for childhood and became an emblematic work of 20th-century French fiction. He maintained a significant friendship and correspondence with Jacques Rivière. Killed during World War I, his body was not identified until 1991.
* 1886-10-03 — † 1914-09-22
Major works
- Le Grand Meaulnes (1913)novel
- Miracles (1924)collection of poems and essays
- Colombe Blanchetunfinished novel
- Correspondance avec Jacques Rivière (1926-1928)correspondence
Key milestones
- 1911Gives French lessons to T. S. Eliot in Paris.
- 1913Publication of his only completed novel, Le Grand Meaulnes.
- 1991His body, missing since 1914, is formally identified.
Themes
nostalgia for childhoodsymbolismfriendshipquest for the idealloss and mourning
Sources: britannica.com · id.loc.gov