It is no secret that French literature is one of the oldest and richest in Europe. Below Leyla Budaeva will talk about some of the key works created inXIXcentury.

1. Victor Hugo, "Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris» (1831)

"You think you're unhappy! Alas! You don't know what misfortune is."

The time when novels like this were written was the age of innocence. The beautiful Esmeralda, the sufferer Quasimodo, the sinister archdeacon - there is so much purity / nobility / fury in the well-known characters of Hugo that they seem to be the ideal quintessences of these concepts. The intensity of their passions is strong and terrible, but still naive. Happiness is to read a book in youth and believe it without reasoning.

But there is something that is noticed only with age. The work is an amazing example of the literature of the era of romanticism with its outstanding characters and violent feelings, but all this fades into the background when Hugo writes about his main character - Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris. He is a revelation embodied in metal and stone, inviolable and eternal. The writer's reflections on the nature of architecture and printing, his attentive look at the medieval city are as important components of the novel as the anxieties and joys of the charming street dancer Esmeralda.

Today, the novel may seem somewhat archaic, but you can’t refuse it in any way in beauty and genuine humanity.

2. Honore de Balzac, Woman of Thirty (1842)

“To reason where you need to feel is the property of a wingless soul”

The life story of Julie d'Aiglemont is a story of mistakes made for the sake of an indefatigable imagination and blind stubbornness. Indulging her own enthusiasm, this chaste and not at all stupid woman ruined her beloved man - absurdly, thoughtlessly, senselessly.

Balzac's novels are always more than romances. The plot in them, in general, is secondary - the characters are not important either. Its main characters are morals. Mores that dictate the way of thinking and way of life; morals equivalent to poison pure soul and whitewash the very embodiment of vice.

The book is ambiguous. She is witty, sometimes fantastic, but always accurate and truthful in depicting movements. human soul. Balzac does not moralize, does not accuse or justify. He only tells with deep respect about a life lived according to the dictates of a heart that has known joy and pain in equal measure.

3. Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857)

“... why did that on which she tried to rely instantly decay?”

Today it is one of the key novels of world fiction, but in 1857 it was considered immoral and the author was brought to trial.

Exhausted by a dull life and fruitless fantasies about better share, Emma Bovary cheats on her husband, spends money on empty whims, gets confused in her own lies and, unable to pay her debts, takes poison.

How to judge her? Before us is not a fatal femme fatale, but a sentimental young woman capable of reveling in feelings to self-forgetfulness. She feels sorry for herself. Is it fair to live in the provinces, be the wife of a mediocre doctor and lead the life of a middle-class bourgeois?

She craves luxury and beauty - and this is understandable. But, having neither one nor the other, he withdraws into himself, gets angry and falls into despondency. She is pretty - no wonder they pay attention to her. But neither the husband nor the lovers see, and do not want to see who she really is - an enthusiastic and ingenuous boarder who wants to hand herself over to her beloved and run away with him to the ends of the world. She's not stupid, but she hardly knows what real life is. The whole world is enclosed in the object of her affection, the rest are conventions, which are better to close your eyes to. A terrible denouement is natural and predetermined. It couldn't be otherwise.

The book is stylistically verified - Flaubert has always been famous for his ability to choose words perfectly. And placing the main accents, the writer over and over again reminds of one thing: "do not judge."

4. Anatole France, Thais (1890)

"Be careful not to offend Venus - her revenge is terrible"

A novel on the theme of the legend about the conversion to Christianity of the famous Alexandrian courtesan Thais. In 1890, the book caused open discontent and was recognized as anti-clerical. Why? Because France contrasted the idea of ​​religious passion with carnal passion and created a genuine drama.

The righteous Paphnutius decides to turn Thais away from vice and convinces her to leave pagan Alexandria in order to retire to a convent. What drives them? Unshakable faith? Yes, he thinks. But what is the reason for his jealousy and burning anxiety? He knows this woman - and long years loves her, not daring to admit it to himself. The painful struggle of his will with feeling, that is, with Venus (the mythical goddess of love and beauty), determines the philosophical side of the novel.

The fact that on the way to Thais, Pafnuty is guided not only by convictions, but also by passion, in which he is not aware of himself, is obvious from the first pages. It is all the more painful to watch how his world, once whole and clear, crumbles to dust. After all, mistaking lust for a thirst to save a lost soul, he deceived himself - and for this he was punished.

Frans brilliantly recreated the aesthetics of the late ancient world and way of life of Christians of the first centuries of our era. And this is the undeniable charm and value of the book.

5. Prosper Merimee, short stories

"... we find some solace for self-esteem, considering our weakness from the height of our pride"

I will complete the collection with a collection short prose. "Venus of Ill", "Double Error", "Etruscan Vase" - elegant sketches of feelings in all their vulnerability, spontaneity and novelty. Little tragedies, where the payback for an unfortunate blunder or desperate self-deception will be your own life - ridiculous, simple and inevitable ... In the story "Lokis" the count in love will turn out to be a fierce beast - why not the story of beauty and the beast, but vice versa? Merimee's well-aimed, concise prose gives goosebumps, but the author's cold irony quickly comes to the rescue. The truth of human characters debunks illusions, and the mind enlightens feelings, so reading these short stories is just right.

Culture and Education

Mikhailov, A.D. Some traits French Renaissance // LITERATURE Renaissance and problems of world literature. M.: "Science", 1967
Reizov B.G. French novel XIX century. M., " graduate School", 1977
History of French literature. M .: "Higher School", 1987
Darcos X. Histoire de la literature française. P., Hachette Livre, 1992
Meilakh M.B. Medieval Provençal biographies and the courtly culture of the troubadours // Lives of Troubadours. M.: "Science", 1993
French Literature. 19451990. M.: Heritage, 1995
Karelsky A.V. Metamorphoses of Orpheus: Conversations on the History of Western Literature. Issue. 1: French literature of the 19th century. M.: Russian. state humanit. university, 1998
Western European theater from the Renaissance to the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. Moscow: RGGU, 2001
Meletinsky E.M. From myth to literature. Course of lectures "Theory of myth and historical poetics". M.: Russian. state humanit. university, 2001
Zenkin S.N. French romanticism and the idea of ​​culture. Unnaturalness, plurality and relativity in literature. M.: Russian. state humanit. university, 2002
Kosikov G.K. François Villon// Villon F. Poems: Collection. M.: OAO Publishing house "Rainbow", 2002
Zumtor P. Experience in the construction of medieval poetics. St. Petersburg: Aletheya, 2003

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French literature is one of the treasures of world culture. It deserves to be read in all countries and in all ages. Issues raised in their works French writers, have always worried people, and the time will never come when they will leave the reader indifferent. Eras, historical surroundings, costumes of characters change, but passions, the essence of relations between men and women, their happiness and suffering remain unchanged. The tradition of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was continued by modern French writers, writers of the XX century.

Commonality of Russian and French Literary Schools

What do we know about European masters of the word in relation to the recent past? Of course, many countries have made a significant contribution to the overall cultural heritage. Great books were also written by Britain, Germany, Austria, Spain, but in terms of the number of outstanding works, Russian and French writers, of course, occupy the first places. The list of them (both books and authors) is truly huge. It is no wonder that there are multiple publications, there are many readers, and today, in the age of the Internet, the list of adaptations is also impressive. What is the secret of this popularity? Both Russia and France have long-standing humanist traditions. At the head of the plot, as a rule, is not put historical event, no matter how outstanding it is, but a person, with his passions, virtues, shortcomings and even weaknesses and vices. The author does not undertake to condemn his characters, but prefers to leave the reader to draw his own conclusions about which fate to choose. He even pities those of them who chose the wrong path. There are many examples.

How Flaubert felt sorry for his Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821 in Rouen. The monotony of provincial life was familiar to him from childhood, and even in mature years he rarely left his town, only once having made a long journey to the East (Algeria, Tunisia), and, of course, visited Paris. This French poet and writer composed poems that seemed to many critics then (there is such an opinion today) too melancholy and languid. In 1857, he wrote the novel Madame Bovary, which was notorious at the time. The story of a woman who sought to break out of the hateful circle of everyday life and therefore cheated on her husband then seemed not only controversial, but even indecent.

However, this plot, alas, is quite frequent in life, performed by the great master, far goes beyond the usual obscene anecdote. Flaubert tries, and with great success, to penetrate into the psychology of his characters, towards whom he sometimes feels anger, expressed in merciless satire, but more often - pity. His heroine dies tragically, the despised and loving husband, apparently (this is more likely to be guessed by what is indicated in the text) knows about everything, but sincerely grieves, mourning the unfaithful wife. And Flaubert and other French 19th writers century quite a lot of works devoted to the issues of fidelity and love.

Maupassant

FROM light hand many literary writers consider him almost the founder of romantic eroticism in literature. This opinion is based on some moments in his works containing immodest, by the standards of the 19th century, descriptions of scenes of an intimate nature. From today's art criticism positions, these episodes look quite decent and, in general, are justified by the plot. Moreover, in the novels, stories and short stories of this remarkable writer, this is not at all the main thing. The first place in importance is again occupied by relationships between people and such personal qualities as depravity, the ability to love, forgive and just be happy. Like other famous French writers, Maupassant studies the human soul and reveals the necessary conditions for his freedom. He is tormented by the hypocrisy of "public opinion" created precisely by those who themselves are by no means impeccable, but impose their ideas of decency on everyone.

For example, in the story "Zolotar" he describes the story touching love French soldier to a black resident of the colony. His happiness did not take place, his relatives did not understand his feelings and were afraid of the possible condemnation of the neighbors.

Interesting are the writer's aphorisms about war, which he likens to a shipwreck, and which should be avoided by all world leaders with the same caution as ship captains are afraid of reefs. Maupassant shows observation, opposing low self-esteem to excessive complacency, considering both of these qualities to be harmful.

Zola

No less, and, perhaps, much more shocked the readership of the French writer Emile Zola. He willingly took the life of courtesans (The Trap, Nana), the inhabitants of the social bottom (The Womb of Paris) as the basis for the plot, described in detail the hard life of coal miners (Germinal) and even the psychology of a murderous maniac (Man-Beast). ). The general literary form chosen by the author is unusual.

He combined most of his works into a twenty-volume collection, which received the general name "Rougon-Macquart". With all the variety of plots and expressive forms, it is something that should be taken as a whole. However, any of Zola's novels can be read separately, which will not make it less interesting.

Jules Verne, fantasy

Another French writer, Jules Verne, needs no introduction, he became the founder of the genre, which later received the definition of "science fiction". What did this amazing storyteller not think of when he foresaw the appearance of nuclear submarines, torpedoes, lunar rockets and other modern attributes that became the property of mankind only in the twentieth century. Many of his fantasies may seem naive today, but novels are easy to read, and this is their main advantage.

In addition, the plots of modern Hollywood blockbusters about dinosaurs resurrected from oblivion look much less plausible than the story of the antediluvian lizards that never died out on a single Latin American plateau, found by brave travelers (“ lost World"). And the novel about how the Earth screamed from a ruthless prick with a giant needle completely goes beyond the genre, being perceived as a prophetic parable.

Hugo

The French writer Hugo is no less fascinating in his novels. His characters find themselves in a variety of circumstances, showing themselves bright features individuality. Even bad guys(for example, Javert from Les Misérables or Claude Frollo from Notre Dame Cathedral) have a certain charm.

The historical component of the narrative is also important, from which the reader can easily and with interest learn many useful facts in particular about the circumstances of the French Revolution and Bonapartism in France. Jean Voljean from "Les Misérables" became the personification of ingenuous nobility and honesty.

Exupery

Modern French writers, and literary critics include all the writers of the “Heminway-Fitzgerald” era, have also done a lot to make humanity wiser and kinder. The twentieth century did not indulge Europeans in peaceful decades, and memories of big war 1914-1918 soon received a reminiscence in the form of another global tragedy.

Didn't stay away from the fight honest people all over the world with fascism and the French writer Exupery - a romantic, the creator of an unforgettable image Little Prince and military pilot. The posthumous popularity of this writer in the USSR of the fifties and sixties could be envied by many pop stars who performed songs, including those dedicated to his memory and his main character. And today, the thoughts expressed by a boy from another planet still call for kindness and responsibility for their actions.

Dumas, son and father

There were actually two of them, father and son, and both wonderful French writers. Who is not familiar with the famous Musketeers and their faithful friend D'Artagnan? Numerous film adaptations have glorified these characters, but none of them has been able to convey the charm of the literary source. The fate of the prisoner of If Castle will not leave anyone indifferent ("The Count of Monte Cristo"), and other works are very interesting. They will also be useful for young people whose personal development is just beginning; there are more than enough examples of true nobility in the novels of Dumas Père.

As for the son, he also did not shame famous family. The novels "Doctor Servan", "Three strong men"and other works brightly highlighted the features and petty-bourgeois features of contemporary society, and The Lady with the Camellias not only enjoyed well-deserved reader success, but also inspired Italian composer Verdi to write the opera "La Traviata", she formed the basis of her libretto.

Simenon

The detective story will always be one of the most read genres. The reader is interested in everything in it - and who committed the crime, and motives, and evidence, and the indispensable exposure of the perpetrators. But detective detective strife. One of best writers of the modern era, of course, is Georges Simenon, the creator of the unforgettable image of Maigret, the commissioner of the Parisian police. On my own artistic technique quite common in world literature, the image of a detective-intellectual with an indispensable feature of appearance and a recognizable habit has been repeatedly exploited.

Maigret Simenon differs from many of his "colleagues" again in the kindness and sincerity characteristic of French literature. He is sometimes ready to meet a stumbled person and even (oh, horror!) violate individual formal articles of the law, while remaining faithful to him in the main thing, not in the letter, in his spirit ("And yet the hazel is green").

Just a wonderful writer.

gra

If we ignore the past centuries and again mentally return to the present, then the French writer Cedric Gras deserves attention, a great friend of our country, who devoted two books to Russian Far East and its inhabitants. Having seen many exotic regions of the planet, he became interested in Russia, lived in it for many years, learned the language, which undoubtedly helps him to learn the notorious " mysterious soul”, about which he is already finishing writing a third book on the same topic. Here, Gras found something that, apparently, he lacked so much in his prosperous and comfortable homeland. He is attracted by some "strangeness" (from the point of view of a European) national character, the desire of men to be courageous, their recklessness and openness. For the Russian reader, the French writer Cédric Gras is interested precisely in this “view from the outside”, which is gradually becoming more and more ours.

Sartre

Perhaps there is no other French writer so close to the Russian heart. Much in his work is reminiscent of another great literary figure of all times and peoples - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. The first novel by Jean-Paul Sartre Nausea (many consider it the best) affirmed the concept of freedom as an internal category, not subject to external circumstances, to which a person is doomed by the very fact of his birth.

The position of the author was confirmed not only by his novels, essays and plays, but also by his personal behavior, demonstrating complete independence. A man of leftist views, he nevertheless criticized the policies of the USSR in the post-war period, which did not prevent him, in turn, from refusing the prestigious Nobel Prize awarded for supposedly anti-Soviet publications. For the same reasons, he did not accept the Order of the Legion of Honor. Such a nonconformist deserves respect and attention, he is certainly worth reading.

Vive la France!

The article does not mention many other prominent French writers, not because they are in lesser degree deserve love and attention. You can talk about them endlessly, enthusiastically and enthusiastically, but until the reader picks up the book himself, opens it, he does not fall under the spell of wonderful lines, sharp thoughts, humor, sarcasm, light sadness and kindness radiated by the pages . There are no mediocre peoples, but there are, of course, outstanding ones who have made a special contribution to the world treasury of culture. For those who love Russian literature, familiarization with the works of French authors will be especially pleasant and useful.

Hi all! I came across a list of the 10 best French novels. To be honest, I didn’t get along with the French, so I’ll ask the connoisseurs - how do you like the list that you read / didn’t read from it, what would you add / remove from it?

1. Antoine de Saint-Exupery - "The Little Prince"

Most famous work Antoine de Saint-Exupery with author's drawings. A wise and “humane” tale-parable, which simply and heartfeltly speaks of the most important things: friendship and love, duty and fidelity, beauty and intolerance to evil.

“We all come from childhood,” the great Frenchman reminds us and introduces us to the most mysterious and touching hero of world literature.

2. Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo

The plot of the novel was drawn by Alexandre Dumas from the archives of the Parisian police. The real life of François Picot, under the pen of a brilliant master of the historical-adventure genre, turned into a fascinating story about Edmond Dantes, a prisoner of the Château d'If. After a daring escape, he returns to native city to do justice - to take revenge on those who ruined his life.

3. Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary

The main character - Emma Bovary - suffers from the inability to fulfill her dreams of a brilliant, secular life full of romantic passions. Instead, she is forced to drag out the monotonous existence of the wife of a poor provincial doctor. The oppressive atmosphere of the outback suffocates Emma, ​​but all her attempts to break out of the bleak world are doomed to failure: a boring husband cannot satisfy his wife's needs, and her outwardly romantic and attractive lovers are actually self-centered and cruel. Is there a way out of life's impasse?..

4. Gaston Leroux - The Phantom of the Opera

“The Phantom of the Opera really existed” - one of the most sensational French novels is dedicated to the proof of this thesis turn XIX-XX centuries. It belongs to the pen of Gaston Leroux, the master of the police novel, the author of the famous "Secrets of the Yellow Room", "The Fragrance of the Lady in Black". From the first to the last page, Leroux keeps the reader in suspense.

5. Guy De Maupassant - "Dear friend"

Guy de Maupassant is often called the master of erotic prose. But the novel "Dear Friend" (1885) goes beyond this genre. The story of the career of an ordinary seducer and life-burner Georges Duroy, developing in the spirit of an adventurous novel, becomes a symbolic reflection of the spiritual impoverishment of the hero and society.

6. Simone De Beauvoir - "Second Sex"

Two volumes of the book "The Second Sex" by the French writer Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) - "a born philosopher", according to her husband J.-P. Sartre - are still considered the most complete historical and philosophical study of the whole complex of problems associated with a woman. What is the "female destiny", what is behind the concept of "natural purpose of sex", how and why the position of a woman in this world differs from the position of a man, is a woman capable in principle of being a full-fledged person, and if so, under what conditions, what circumstances limit the freedom of women and how to overcome them.

7. Cholerlo de Laclos - "Dangerous Liaisons"

"Dangerous Liaisons" - one of the most striking novels of the XVIII century - the only book of Choderlos de Laclos, a French artillery officer. Heroes erotic novel The Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil start a sophisticated intrigue, wanting to take revenge on their opponents. Having developed a cunning strategy and tactics of seducing the young girl Cecile de Volange, they skillfully play the human weaknesses and shortcomings.

8. Charles Baudelaire - "Flowers of Evil"

Among the masters of world culture, the name of Charles Baudelaire burns like a bright star. This book includes the collection of the poet "Flowers of Evil", which made his name famous, and the brilliant essay "School of the Pagans". The book is preceded by an article by the remarkable Russian poet Nikolai Gumilyov, and a rarely published essay on Baudelaire by the outstanding French poet and thinker Paul Valery concludes the book.

9. Stendhal - "Parma monastery"

The novel written by Stendhal in just 52 days received world recognition. Dynamism of action, intriguing course of events, dramatic denouement in combination with the image strong characters capable of anything for the sake of love, - key points works that do not cease to excite the reader to the last lines. The fate of Fabrizio, the protagonist of the novel, freedom-loving young man, is filled with unexpected ups and downs taking place during the historical turning point in Italy in early XIX century.

10. André Gide - "The Counterfeiters"

A novel that is significant both for the work of André Gide and for French literature of the first half of the 20th century in general. A novel that largely predicted the motives that later became the main ones in the work of the existentialists. The intricate relationships of three families - representatives of the big bourgeoisie, united by crime, vice and a labyrinth of self-destructive passions, become the background for the story of the growing up of two young men - two childhood friends, each of whom will have to go through their own, very difficult school of "education of feelings".

French writers are among the most prominent representatives European prose. Many of them - recognized novels and whose stories served as the basis for the formation of fundamentally new artistic movements and trends. Certainly modern world literature France owes much, the influence of the writers of this country extends far beyond its borders.

molière

The French writer Molière lived in the 17th century. His real name is Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. Molière is a theatrical pseudonym. He was born in 1622 in Paris. In his youth he studied to be a lawyer, but as a result actor career attracted him more. Over time, he had his own troupe.

In Paris, he made his debut in 1658 in the presence of Louis XIV. The play "Doctor in Love" was a great success. In Paris, he takes up writing dramatic works. For 15 years he creates his own best plays, which often caused fierce attacks from others.

One of his first comedies, The Laughing Cossacks, was first staged in 1659.

She tells about two rejected suitors who are coldly received in the house of the bourgeois Gorgibus. They decide to take revenge and teach the capricious and cutesy girls a lesson.

One of the most famous plays French writer Moliere is called "Tartuffe, or the Deceiver". It was written in 1664. The action of this work takes place in Paris. Tartuffe, a modest, learned and disinterested man, is rubbed into the trust of the wealthy owner of the house, Orgon.

Those around Orgon are trying to prove to him that Tartuffe is not as simple as he makes himself out to be, but the owner of the house does not trust anyone except his new friend. Finally, the true essence of Tartuffe is revealed when Orgon entrusts him with the storage of money, transfers his capital and house to him. Only thanks to the intervention of the king can justice be restored.

Tartuffe is punished, and Orgon's property and house are returned. This play made Molière the most famous French writer of his time.

Voltaire

In 1694, another famous French writer, Voltaire, was born in Paris. Interestingly, like Moliere, he had a pseudonym, and his real name was François-Marie Arouet.

He was born into the family of an official. Educated at a Jesuit college. But, like Moliere, he left jurisprudence, opting for literature. He began his career at the palaces of aristocrats as a parasitic poet. Soon he was imprisoned. For satirical poems dedicated to the regent and his daughter, he was imprisoned in the Bastille. Later, he had to suffer more than once for his masterful literary temper.

In 1726, the French writer Voltaire leaves for England, where he devotes three years to the study of philosophy, politics and science. Returning, he writes for which the publisher is imprisoned, and Voltaire manages to escape.

Voltaire, first of all, famous French writer and philosopher. In his writings, he repeatedly criticizes religion, which was unacceptable for that time.

Among the most famous works of this writer in French literature, it is necessary to highlight satirical poem"Orleans virgin". In it, Voltaire presents the successes of Joan of Arc in a comic way, ridicules the courtiers and knights. Voltaire died in 1778 in Paris, it is known that for a long time he corresponded with the Russian Empress Catherine II.

French writer of the 19th century Honore de Balzac was born in the town of Tours. His father made a fortune on the resale of land, although he was a peasant. He wanted Balzac to become a lawyer, but he abandoned a legal career, devoting himself entirely to literature.

He published his first book under his own name in 1829. It was the historical novel "Shuans" dedicated to the Great french revolution 1799. He is famous for the story "Gobsek" about a usurer, for whom stinginess turns into mania, and the novel "Shagreen Skin", dedicated to the collision of an inexperienced person with vices. modern society. Balzac becomes one of the favorite French writers of the time.

The idea of ​​the main work of his life comes to him in 1831. He decides to create a multi-volume work, in which he will reflect the picture of the mores of his contemporary society. He later called this work "The Human Comedy". It is philosophical and artistic history France, to the creation of which he devotes the rest of his life. French writer, author human comedy"includes many previously written works, some specially reworks.

Among them are the already mentioned "Gobsek", as well as "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman", "Colonel Chabert", "Father Goriot", "Eugenia Grande", "Lost Illusions", "Shine and Poverty of the Courtesans", "Sarrasine", "Lily of the Valley" and many other works. It is as the author of The Human Comedy that the French writer Honore de Balzac remains in the history of world literature.

Among the French writers of the 19th century, Victor Hugo also stands out. One of the key figures of French romanticism. He was born in the town of Besançon in 1802. He began to write at the age of 14, these were poems, in particular, Hugo translated Virgil. In 1823 he published his first novel under the title "Gan the Icelander".

In the 30s and 40s of the 19th century, the work of the French writer V. Hugo was closely connected with the theater; he also published poetry collections.

Among his most famous works is the epic novel "Les Misérables", which is deservedly considered one of the greatest books of all 19th century. His main character the ex-convict, angry at all mankind, returns from hard labor, where he spent 19 years due to the theft of bread. He ends up with a Catholic bishop who completely changes his life.

The priest treats him with respect, and when Valjean robs him, he forgives and does not betray him to the authorities. The man who accepted and took pity on him shocked the protagonist so much that he decides to establish a factory for the manufacture of black glassware. He becomes the mayor of a small town, for which the factory turns into a city-forming enterprise.

But when he nevertheless stumbles, the French police rush to search for him, Valjean is forced to hide.

In 1831, another famous work of the French writer Hugo was published - the novel Notre Dame Cathedral. The action takes place in Paris. Main female character- Gypsy Esmeralda, who with her beauty drives everyone around crazy. The priest of Notre Dame Cathedral is secretly in love with her. Fascinated by the girl and his pupil, the hunchback Quasimodo, who works as a bell ringer.

The girl herself remains faithful to the captain of the royal shooters Phoebus de Chateauper. Blinded by jealousy, Frollo wounds Phoebe, and Esmeralda herself becomes the accused. She is sentenced to death. When the girl is brought to the square to be hanged, Frollo and Quasimodo are watching. The hunchback, realizing that it is the priest who is to blame for her troubles, throws him off the top of the cathedral.

Talking about the books of the French writer Victor Hugo, one cannot fail to mention the novel "The Man Who Laughs". The writer creates it in the 60s years XIX century. Its main character is Gwynplaine, who was mutilated as a child by representatives of the criminal community of child traffickers. The fate of Gwynplaine is very similar to the story of Cinderella. From a fair artist, he turns into an English peer. By the way, the action takes place in Britain at the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries.

Guy de Maupassant, famous French writer, author of the story "Dumpling", the novels "Dear Friend", "Life", was born in 1850. During his studies, he showed himself as a capable student with a craving for theatrical art and literature. He went through the Franco-Prussian war as a private, worked as an official in the naval ministry after his family went bankrupt.

The aspiring writer immediately captivated the public with his debut story "Pyshka", in which he spoke about a plump prostitute nicknamed Pyshka, who, along with nuns and representatives higher strata society leaves the besieged Rouen during the war of 1870. The ladies surrounding her at first treat the girl arrogantly, even unite against, but when they run out of food, they willingly treat themselves to her provisions, forgetting about any hostility.

The main themes of Maupassant's work were Normandy, Franco-Prussian War, women (as a rule, they became victims of violence), their own pessimism. Over time, his nervous illness intensifies, the themes of hopelessness and depression occupy him more and more.

In Russia, his novel "Dear Friend" is very popular, in which the author tells about an adventurer who managed to make a brilliant career. It is noteworthy that the hero does not have any talents, except for natural beauty, thanks to which he conquers all the surrounding ladies. He does a lot of meanness, with which he calmly gets along, becoming one of the mighty of the world this.

He was born in 1885 to a wealthy family of Jews from Alsace who converted to Catholicism. He studied at the Rouen Lyceum. At first he worked at his father's cloth factory.

During the First World War, he was a liaison officer and military translator. His first success came in 1918 when he published The Silent Colonel Bramble.

Later he participated in the French Resistance. He also served during World War II. After France capitulated to the fascist troops, he left for the USA, in America he wrote biographies of General Eisenhower, Washington, Franklin, Chopin. He returned to France in 1946.

Apart from biographical works, Morois was famous as a master of the psychological novel. Among the most notable books of this genre are the novels: "The Family Circle", "The Vicissitudes of Love", "Memoirs", published in 1970.

Albert Camus- a famous French writer-publicist, who was close to the course of existentialism. Camus was born in Algiers in 1913, which at the time was a French colony. His father died in World War I, after which he and his mother lived in poverty.

In the 1930s, Camus studied philosophy at the University of Algiers. He was carried away by socialist ideas, even was a member of the French communist party until he was expelled on suspicion of "Trotskyism".

In 1940, Camus completed his first famous work - the story "The Outsider", which is considered a classic illustration of the ideas of existentialism. The story is told on behalf of a 30-year-old Frenchman named Meursault, who lives in colonial Algeria. Three main events of his life take place on the pages of the story - the death of his mother, the murder local resident and the ensuing trial, from time to time he starts a relationship with a girl.

In 1947, Camus' most famous novel, The Plague, was published. This book is largely an allegory for the recently defeated "brown plague" in Europe - fascism. At the same time, Camus himself admitted that he put evil in general into this image, without which it is impossible to imagine being.

In 1957, the Nobel Committee awarded him the Literature Prize for works that highlighted the importance of human conscience.

The famous French writer Jean-Paul Sartre, like Camus, was an adherent of the ideas of existentialism. By the way, he was also awarded the Nobel Prize (in 1964), but Sartre refused it. He was born in Paris in 1905.

He showed himself not only in literature, but also in journalism. In the 1950s, working in the New Times magazine, he supported the desire of the Algerian people to gain independence. He advocated freedom of self-determination of peoples, against torture and colonialism. The French nationalists repeatedly threatened him, twice blew up his apartment, located in the center of the capital, and the militants repeatedly seized the editorial office of the magazine.

Sartre supported the Cuban Revolution and took part in student riots in 1968.

His most famous work- Nausea novel. He wrote it back in 1938. Before the reader is the diary of a certain Antoine Roquentin, who leads him with one single purpose - to get to the bottom of the essence. He is worried about the changes taking place with him, in which the hero cannot figure it out. Nausea, which from time to time overcomes Antoine, becomes the main symbol of the novel.

Soon after the October Revolution, such a thing as Russian-French writers appeared. A large number of domestic writers were forced to emigrate, many found shelter in France. The French name is given to the writer Gaito Gazdanov, who was born in St. Petersburg in 1903.

During civil war in 1919, Gazdanov joined Wrangel's volunteer army, even though he was only 16 at the time. He served as a soldier on an armored train. When white army was forced to retreat, ended up in the Crimea, from there sailed on a steamer to Constantinople. He settled in Paris in 1923, where he spent most of his life.

His fate was not easy. He worked as a steam locomotive washer, a loader in the port, a mechanic at the Citroen plant, when he could not find any work, he spent the night on the street, he lived like a clochard.

At the same time, he studied for four years at the Historical and Philological University at the famous French Sorbonne University. Even becoming famous writer, did not have financial viability for a long time, was forced to work as a taxi driver at night.

In 1929, he published his first novel, An Evening at Claire's. The novel is conditionally divided into two parts. The first tells about the events that happened to the hero before meeting Claire. And the second part is devoted to memories of the Civil War in Russia, the novel is largely autobiographical. The thematic centers of the work are the death of the protagonist's father, the situation that prevails in the cadet corps, Claire. One of central images is an armored train that serves as a symbol of constant departure, the desire to always learn something new.

Interestingly, critics divide Gazdanov's novels into "French" and "Russian". They can be used to track the formation of the creative self-awareness of the author. In "Russian" novels, the plot, as a rule, is based on an adventurous strategy, the author's experience as a "traveler" is manifested, as well as many personal impressions and events. Gazdanov's autobiographical works are the most sincere and frank.

Gazdanov differs from most of his contemporaries by his laconicism, the rejection of the traditional and classical novel form, often he does not have an outset, climax, denouement, or a clearly built plot. At the same time, his story is as close as possible to real life, it covers many psychological, philosophical, social and spiritual issues. Most often, Gazdanov is not interested in the events themselves, but in how they change the consciousness of his characters, he tries to interpret the same life manifestations in different ways. His most famous novels: "The story of one trip", "Flight", "Night roads", "The Ghost of Alexander Wolf", "The Return of the Buddha" (after the success of this novel, relative financial independence came to him), "Pilgrims", "Awakening", "Evelina and her friends", "Coup", which was never completed.

No less popular are the stories of the French writer Gazdanov, whom he can fully call himself. These are "Master of the Future", "Comrade Marriage", "Black Swans", "The Society of the Eight of Spades", "Mistake", "Evening Companion", "Ivanov's Letter", "The Beggar", "Lanterns", "The Great Musician".

In 1970, the writer was diagnosed with lung cancer. He steadfastly endured the disease, most of his acquaintances did not even suspect that Gazdanov was ill. Few close people knew how hard it was for him. The prose writer died in Munich, was buried in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve de Bois near the French capital.

There are many popular French writers among contemporaries. Perhaps the most famous among the living is Frederic Begbeder. He was born in 1965 near Paris. Received higher education at the Institute of Political Studies, then studied marketing and advertising.

Started working as a copywriter for a large advertising agency. In parallel, he collaborated with magazines as literary critic. When he was fired from an advertising agency, he took up the novel "99 francs", which brought him worldwide success. This is a bright and frank satire that exposed the ins and outs of the advertising business.

The protagonist is an employee of a large advertising agency, we note that the novel is largely autobiographical. He lives in luxury, having a lot of money, women, indulging in drugs. His life is turned upside down after two events that make the protagonist take a different look at the world. This is an affair with the most beautiful employee of the agency named Sophie and a meeting in a huge dairy corporation about commercial on which he is working.

The protagonist decides to rebel against the system that gave birth to him. He begins to sabotage his own advertising campaign.

By that time, Begbeder had already published two books - "Memoirs of an Unreasonable Young Man" (the title refers to the novel by Simone de Beauvoir "Memoirs of a well-bred girl"), a collection of short stories "Vacations in a Coma" and the novel "Love Lives for Three Years", subsequently filmed, as well as "99 francs". Moreover, in this film, Begbeder himself acted as a director.

Many of Begbeder's heroes are extravagant playboys, very similar to the author himself.

In 2002, he published the novel "Windows on the World", written exactly one year after the terrorist attack on the World shopping center in New York. Begbeder is trying to find words that can express the full horror of the impending reality, which turns out to be worse than the most incredible Hollywood fantasies.

In 2009, he wrote The French Romance, an autobiographical narrative in which the author is placed in a holding cell for cocaine use in public place. There, he begins to remember his forgotten childhood, recalling the meeting of his parents, their divorce, his life with his older brother. Meanwhile, the arrest is extended, the hero begins to be overwhelmed with fear, which causes him to reconsider own life and get out of prison a different person who regained his lost childhood.

One of recent works Begbeder - the novel "Una and Salinger", which tells about the love of the famous American writer who wrote general ledger teenagers of the XX century "The Catcher in the Rye", and the 15-year-old daughter of the famous Irish playwright Unoy O'Neill.