Contents
André Gide
Writing The Immoralist and The Counterfeiters while questioning social and moral conventions.
The Immoralist · The Counterfeiters
- Born
- 22 November 1869
- Birthplace
- Paris, France
- Died
- 19 February 1951
More people
André Gide
French novelist, essayist and diarist whose work explored self-deception, freedom and the conflict between desire and duty. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947.
Early life
A Protestant household
Grew up in a strict religious environment and lost his father while still a child.
Early literary circles
Entered Parisian literary life through Symbolist writers and published his first book in 1891.
Career
- 1890s
Finding a voice
Travel and encounters beyond his upbringing changed his writing and outlook.
- 1900s–1920s
Literary influence
Published major fiction and helped found La Nouvelle Revue française.
- 1920s–1947
Public interventions
Wrote about colonial abuses and the Soviet Union before receiving the Nobel Prize.
Selected work
The Immoralist
A man’s pursuit of personal freedom damages those around him.
The Counterfeiters
Interwoven lives and a novel within a novel examine authenticity and deception.
Travels in the Congo
An account criticizing abuses under French colonial rule.
Beyond work
Political reassessment
His 1936 visit to the Soviet Union led him to criticize a system he had previously supported.
Contested sexual legacy
His autobiographical writings describe sexual encounters with adolescent boys, an important and troubling part of his legacy.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Institutional biography and career ↗Photo: unknow. uploader Claudio Elias. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
