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

1. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - “The Little Prince”

The most famous work Antoine de Saint-Exupery with the author's drawings. A wise and “humane” fairy tale-parable, which simply and heartfeltly talks about the most important things: about friendship and love, about duty and loyalty, about 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 gleaned by Alexandre Dumas from the archives of the Parisian police. Authentic life 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. Having made a daring escape, he returns to hometown to bring justice - to take revenge on those who destroyed his life.

3. Gustave Flaubert - “Madame Bovary”

The main character - Emma Bovary - suffers from the inability to fulfill her dreams of a brilliant, social life full of romantic passions. Instead, she is forced to eke out a monotonous existence as the wife of a poor provincial doctor. The painful atmosphere of the outback suffocates Emma, ​​but all her attempts to break out of the bleak world are doomed to failure: her boring husband cannot satisfy his wife’s demands, and her outwardly romantic and attractive lovers are in fact 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 proving this thesis. turn of XIX-XX centuries. It belongs to the pen of Gaston Leroux, a master of the police novel, author of the famous “The Secret of the Yellow Room”, “The Scent of a 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 the ordinary seducer and playmaker Georges Duroy, developing in the spirit adventure novel, becomes a symbolic reflection of the spiritual impoverishment of the hero and society.

6. Simone De Beauvoir - “The Second Sex”

Two volumes of the book “The Second Sex” 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 entire range of problems associated with women. What is “women’s destiny”, what is behind the concept of “natural purpose of gender”, how and why the position of a woman in this world differs from the position of a man, is a woman in principle capable of becoming a full-fledged person, and if so, then under what conditions, what circumstances limit a woman’s freedom and how to overcome them.

7. Cholerlo de Laclos - “Dangerous Liaisons”

"Dangerous Liaisons" is one of the most bright novels XVIII century - the only book Choderlos de Laclos, French artillery officer. Heroes erotic novel The Viscount de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil are starting a sophisticated intrigue, wanting to take revenge on their opponents. Having developed a cunning strategy and tactics for seducing the young girl Cecile de Volanges, they masterfully 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 poet’s collection “Flowers of Evil,” which made his name famous, and the brilliant essay “The School of the Pagans.” The book is preceded by an article by the remarkable Russian poet Nikolai Gumilyov, and ends with a rarely published essay on Baudelaire by the outstanding French poet and thinker Paul Valéry.

9. Stendhal - “The Parma Abode”

The novel, written by Stendhal in just 52 days, received global recognition. Dynamic action, intriguing course of events, dramatic outcome combined with image strong characters capable of anything for the sake of love are the key moments of the work that never cease to excite the reader until last lines. The fate of Fabrizio, the protagonist of the novel, a freedom-loving young man, is filled with unexpected twists and turns taking place during a historical turning point in Italy in early XIX century.

10. Andre Gide - “The Counterfeiters”

A novel that is significant both for the work of Andre 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 fundamental in the work of the existentialists. The entangled relationships of three families - representatives of the big bourgeoisie, united by crime, vice and a labyrinth of self-destructive passions, become the backdrop for the coming-of-age story 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 literature is one of the treasures of world culture. It deserves to be read in all countries and in all centuries. Problems raised in their works French writers, have always worried people, and there will never come a time when they will leave the reader indifferent. Epochs, historical settings, costumes of characters change, but passions, the essence of relationships 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 and literary figures of the 20th century.

Commonality of Russian and French literary schools

What do we know about European wordsmiths in the relatively recent past? Of course, many countries have made a significant contribution to the overall cultural heritage. Wonderful books were written by Britain, Germany, Austria, Spain, but in terms of quantity outstanding works The first places are, of course, occupied by Russian and French writers. The list of them (both books and authors) is truly huge. It’s no wonder that there are multiple publications, there are many readers, and today, in the age of the Internet, the list of film adaptations is also impressive. What is the secret of this popularity? Both Russia and France have long-standing humanistic traditions. The focus of the plot, as a rule, is not historical event, no matter how outstanding it may be, but a person, with his passions, advantages, disadvantages and even weaknesses and vices. The author does not undertake to condemn his characters, but prefers to let the reader draw his own conclusions about what 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. Monotone provincial life was known to him since childhood, and even in mature years he rarely left his town, only once making a long trip to the East (Algeria, Tunisia), and, of course, visited Paris. This French poet and the writer wrote poems that seemed to many critics then (this opinion still exists today) to be too melancholic and languid. In 1857, he wrote the novel Madame Bovary, which became 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 just controversial, but even indecent.

However, this plot, alas, is quite common in life, performed by the great master, and goes far beyond the scope of the usual obscene anecdote. Flaubert tries, and with great success, to penetrate into the psychology of his characters, for 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 than indicated by the text) knows about everything, but sincerely grieves, mourning his unfaithful wife. And Flaubert and other French writers XIX centuries, quite a lot of works were devoted to issues of fidelity and love.

Maupassant

WITH light hand many literary writers he is considered 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 historical perspective, these episodes look quite decent and, in general, are justified by the plot. Moreover, this is not the main thing in the novels, novels and stories of this wonderful writer. The first place in importance is again occupied by relationships between people and such personal qualities as depravity, the ability to love, forgive and simply be happy. Like other famous French writers, Maupassant studies the human soul and reveals the necessary conditions his freedom. He is tormented by hypocrisy" 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 “Golden Man” he describes the story of the touching love of a French soldier for a black resident of the colony. His happiness did not materialize; his relatives did not understand his feelings and were afraid of possible condemnation from their neighbors.

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

Zola

No less, and perhaps much more shocking to the reading public was 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 of the plot, and described in detail hard life coal miners (“Germinal”) and even the psychology of a homicidal maniac (“The Beast Man”). Unusual general literary form, selected by the author.

He combined most of his works into a twenty-volume collection, which received common name Rougon-Macquart. With all the variety of subjects and expressive forms, it represents something unified that should be perceived as a whole. However, any of Zola’s novels can be read separately, and this will not make it any less interesting.

Jules Verne, science fiction writer

Another French writer, Jules Verne, does not need any special introduction; he became the founder of the genre, which later received the definition of “sci-fi”. What did this amazing storyteller not think of, who foresaw the emergence 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 today may seem naive, but the 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 antediluvian dinosaurs that never went extinct on a single Latin American plateau, found by brave travelers (“ lost World"). And the novel about how the Earth screamed from a merciless prick of a giant needle completely goes beyond genre boundaries, 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, expressing themselves bright features individuality. Even negative heroes(for example, Javert from Les Misérables or Claude Frollo from Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris") have a certain charm.

The historical component of the story is also important, from which the reader will learn a lot with ease and interest. useful facts, in particular, about the circumstances French Revolution and Bonapartism in France. Jean Voljean from Les Miserables became the personification of simple-minded nobility and honesty.

Exupery

Modern French writers, and literary scholars include all the writers of the “Heminway-Fitzgerald” era as such, have also done a lot to make humanity wiser and kinder. The twentieth century did not spoil Europeans for decades of peace, and memories of Great War The years 1914-1918 soon received a reminiscence in the form of another global tragedy.

Didn't stay away from the fight honest people the whole world with fascism and the French writer Exupery - a romantic, creator of an unforgettable image Little Prince and a military pilot. The posthumous popularity of this writer in the USSR of the fifties and sixties could be the envy of 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 one’s actions.

Dumas, son and father

There were actually two of them, father and son, and both were wonderful French writers. Who is not familiar with the famous musketeers and their true friend D'Artagnan? Many film adaptations have glorified these characters, but none of them have been able to convey the charm of the literary source. The fate of the prisoner of the Chateau d'If 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 the Father.

As for his son, he didn’t put him to shame either famous family. Novels "Doctor Servan", "Three strong men"and other works clearly highlighted the peculiarities and bourgeois features of his contemporary society, and "The Lady of the Camellias" not only enjoyed well-deserved reader success, but also inspired the Italian composer Verdi to write the opera "La Traviata", it formed the basis of its libretto.

Simenon

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

Simenon's Maigret differs from many of his “colleagues” in the kindness and sincerity characteristic of French literature. He is sometimes ready to meet halfway people who have stumbled and even (oh, horror!) to violate certain formal articles of the law, while still remaining faithful to it in the main thing, not in the letter, in its spirit (“And yet the hazel tree turns green”).

Simply a wonderful writer.

Gra

If we take a break from the past centuries and again mentally return to modern times, then the French writer Cedric Gras, a great friend of our country, who dedicated two books to Russian, deserves attention. Far East and its residents. 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 understand the notorious “ mysterious soul", about which he is already finishing writing a third book on the same topic. Here Gra found something that, apparently, he lacked in his prosperous and comfortable homeland. He is attracted by some “strangeness” (from a European point of view) national character, the desire of men to be courageous, their recklessness and openness. For the Russian reader, the French writer Cedric Gras is interesting precisely because of this “look 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. Jean-Paul Sartre's first novel, Nausea (many consider it his 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 author's position was confirmed not only by his novels, essays and plays, but also by personal behavior demonstrating complete independence. A man of leftist views, he nevertheless criticized the policies of the USSR post-war period, which did not prevent him, in turn, from refusing the prestigious Nobel Prize, awarded for allegedly 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!

Many other outstanding French writers are not mentioned in the article, not because they are less deserving of love and attention. You can talk about them endlessly, enthusiastically and enthusiastically, but until the reader himself picks up the book and opens it, he does not fall under the spell of the wonderful lines, sharp thoughts, humor, sarcasm, light sadness and kindness emitted 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, it will be especially pleasant and useful to become familiar with the works of French authors.

Culture and Education

Mikhailov, A.D. Some features French Renaissance // LITERATURE Renaissance and problems 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 littérature française. P., Hachette Livre, 1992
Meilakh M.B. Medieval Provencal biographies and courtly culture of troubadours // Lives of Troubadours. M.: “Science”, 1993
French literature. 19451990. M.: Heritage, 1995
Karelsky A.V. Metamorphoses of Orpheus: Conversations on History Western literature. Vol. 1: French literature XIX century. M.: Russian. state humanist University, 1998
Western European theater from the Renaissance to the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. M.: RSUH, 2001
Meletinsky E.M. From myth to literature. Course of lectures “Theory of myth and historical poetics» . M.: Russian. state humanist University, 2001
Zenkin S.N. French romanticism and the idea of ​​culture. Unnaturalness, plurality and relativity in literature. M.: Russian. state humanist University, 2002
Kosikov G.K. Francois Villon// Villon F. Poems: Collection. M.: OJSC Publishing House "Raduga", 2002
Zyumtor P. Experience in constructing medieval poetics. St. Petersburg: Aletheya, 2003

Find " FRENCH LITERATURE" on

Famous French writers have made invaluable contributions to world literature. From the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre to Flaubert's commentary on society, France is well known for bringing examples to the world literary geniuses. Thanks to many famous sayings that quote masters of literature from France, there is a good chance that you are very familiar with, or at least have heard of, works of French literature.

Over the centuries, many great literary works appeared in France. While this list is hardly comprehensive, it contains some of the greatest literary masters who ever lived. Most likely you have read or at least heard about these famous French writers.

Honore de Balzac, 1799-1850

Balzac is a French writer and playwright. One of his most famous works " Human Comedy", became his first real taste of success in literary world. In fact, his personal life became more about trying something and failing than actual success. He is considered by many literary critics to be one of the "founding fathers" of realism because The Human Comedy was a commentary on all aspects of life. This is a collection of all the works he wrote under his own name. Father Goriot is often cited in French literature courses as classic example realism. A story of King Lear set in 1820s Paris, Père Goriot is Balzac's reflection of a money-loving society.

Samuel Beckett, 1906-1989

Samuel Beckett is actually Irish, however, he for the most part I wrote in French because I lived in Paris, having moved there in 1937. He is considered the last great modernist and some argue that he is the first postmodernist. Particularly outstanding in his personal life was involved in the French Resistance during World War II, when it was under German occupation. Although Beckett published widely, he was most renowned for his theater of the absurd, depicted in the play En attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot).

Cyrano de Bergerac, 1619-1655

Cyrano de Bergerac is best known for the play that Rostand wrote about him called Cyrano de Bergerac. The play has been staged and made into films many times. The plot is well known: Cyrano loves Roxane, but stops courting her in order to read his poems to her on behalf of his not so eloquent friend. Rostand most likely embellishes the real characteristics of de Bergerac's life, although he really was a phenomenal swordsman and a delightful poet.

It can be said that his poetry is more famous than Rostand's play. According to descriptions, he had an extremely large nose of which he was very proud.

Albert Camus, 1913-1960

Albert Camus is an author of Algerian origin who received Nobel Prize in literature in 1957. He was the first African to achieve this and the second youngest writer in literary history. Despite being associated with existentialism, Camus rejects any labels. His two most famous novels are absurd: L "Étranger (The Stranger) and Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus). He was perhaps best known as a philosopher and his works are a reflection of the life of that time. In fact, he wanted to become footballer, but contracted tuberculosis at the age of 17 and was bedridden for a long period of time.

Victor Hugo, 1802-1885

Victor Hugo would call himself primarily a humanist who used literature to describe the conditions of human life and the injustices of society. Both of these themes are easily visible in his two most famous works: Les misèrables (Les Miserables), and Notre-Dame de Paris (Notre Dame Cathedral is also known by its popular name - The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

Alexandre Dumas, father 1802-1870

Alexandre Dumas is considered the most by a widely read author V French history. He is known for his historical novels, which describe the dangerous adventures of heroes. Dumas was a prolific writer and many of his stories are still retold today:
Three Musketeers
Count of Montecristo
The Man in the Iron Mask

1821-1880

His first published novel, Madame Bovary, became perhaps his most famous work. It was originally published as a series of novellas, and the French authorities filed a lawsuit against Flaubert for immorality.

Jules Verne, 1828-1905

Jules Verne is especially famous because he was one of the first authors to write science fiction. Many literary critics He is even considered one of the founding fathers of the genre. He wrote many novels, here are some of the most famous:
Twenty thousand leagues under the sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Around the world in 80 Days

Other French writers

Moliere
Emile Zola
Stendhal
George Sand
Musset
Marcel Proust
Rostand
Jean-Paul Sartre
Madame de Scudery
Stendhal
Sully-Prudhomme
Anatole France
Simone de Beauvoir
Charles Baudelaire
Voltaire

In France, literature was, and continues to be, driving force philosophy. Paris is fertile ground for the newest ideas, philosophies and movements the world has ever seen.

Famous French writers

Famous French writers have made invaluable contributions to the world
literature. From the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre to commentaries on
Flaubert Society, France is well known for the phenomenon of world examples
literary geniuses. Thanks to the many famous sayings that
quote masters of literature from France, there is a high probability
that you are very familiar with, or at least have heard, about
works of French literature.

Over the centuries, many great works of literature have appeared
in France. While this list is hardly comprehensive, it does contain some
one of the greatest literary masters who ever lived. Quicker
everything you have read or at least heard about these famous French
writers.

Honore de Balzac, 1799-1850

Balzac is a French writer and playwright. One of his most famous
works "The Human Comedy" became his first real taste of success in
literary world. In fact, his personal life became more of an attempt
trying something and failing rather than actually succeeding. He, according to
according to many literary critics, is considered one of
"founding fathers" of realism, because the "Human Comedy" was
commentary on all aspects of life. This is a collection of all the works that he
wrote under his own name. Father Goriot is often cited in courses
French literature as a classic example of realism. History of the King
Lear, taking place in the 1820s in Paris, the book "Père Goriot" is
Balzac's reflection of a money-loving society.

Samuel Beckett, 1906-1989

Samuel Beckett is actually Irish, but he mostly wrote
in French, because he lived in Paris, moving there in 1937. He
considered the last great modernist and some argue that he is
the first postmodernist. Particularly outstanding in his personal life was
participation in the French Resistance during World War II,
when it was under German occupation. Although Beckett published a lot,
he most of all for his theater of the absurd, depicted in the play En attendant
Godot (Waiting for Godot).

Cyrano de Bergerac, 1619-1655

Cyrano de Bergerac is best known for the play that was
written about him by Rostand under the title "Cyrano de Bergerac". play
It has been staged and made into films many times. The plot is familiar: Cyrano
loves Roxana, but stops courting her so as not to
such an eloquent friend to read his poems to her. Rostand most likely
embellishes the real characteristics of de Bergerac's life, although he
he truly was a phenomenal swordsman and a delightful poet.
It can be said that his poetry is more famous than Rostand's play. By
He is described as having an extremely large nose, of which he was very proud.

Albert Camus, 1913-1960

Albert Camus is an author of Algerian origin who received
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He was the first African
who achieved this, and the second youngest writer in history
literature. Despite the fact that he is associated with existentialism, Camus
rejects any labels. His two most famous novels are absurd:
L "Étranger (The Stranger) and Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus). He was,
perhaps best known as a philosopher and his works - mapping
life of that time. In fact, he wanted to become a football player, but
contracted tuberculosis at the age of 17 and was bedridden in
over a long period of time.

Victor Hugo, 1802-1885

Victor Hugo would call himself first and foremost a humanist who used
literature to describe the conditions of human life and injustice
society. Both of these themes can be easily seen in two of his most famous
works: Les misèrables (Les Miserables), and Notre-Dame de Paris (The Cathedral
Notre Dame is also known by its popular name - The Hunchback of
Notre Dame).

Alexandre Dumas, father 1802-1870

Alexandre Dumas is considered the most widely read author in French history.
He is known for his historical novels that depict dangerous
adventures of heroes. Dumas was prolific in writing and many of his
The stories are still retold today:
Three Musketeers
Count of Montecristo
The Man in the Iron Mask
The Nutcracker (made famous through Tchaikovsky's ballet version)

Gustave Flaubert 1821-1880

His first published novel, Madame Bovary, became perhaps the most
famous for his work. It was originally published as a series
novel, and the French authorities filed a lawsuit against Flaubert for
immorality.

Jules Verne 1828-1905

Jules Verne is especially famous because he was one of the first authors
who wrote science fiction. Many literary critics even consider
him one of the founding fathers of the genre. He wrote many novels, here
some of the most famous:
Twenty thousand leagues under the sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Around the world in 80 Days

Other French writers

There are many other great French writers:

Moliere
Emile Zola
Stendhal
George Sand
Musset
Marcel Proust
Rostand
Jean-Paul Sartre
Madame de Scudery
Stendhal
Sully-Prudhomme
Anatole France
Simone de Beauvoir
Charles Baudelaire
Voltaire

In France, literature was, and continues to be, the driving force of philosophy.
Paris is fertile ground for new ideas, philosophies and movements that
ever seen the world.