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André Gide

アンドレ・ジッド

Andore Jiddo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1869-11-22 （Paris, France）
Died
1951-02-19 （Paris, France） age 81
Nationality
France
Languages
French
Religion
Protestantism
Residence History
Normandy (raised) → Paris (adult life, literary work) → Montparnasse (residence) → Jersey (stay) → Tunis (residence during WWII) → Algiers (stay)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Playwright, Writer / Critic
Active Years
1891-1951
Affiliations
Nouvelle Revue Française (helped found)
Influenced By
Charles Baudelaire, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Oscar Wilde (friendship / influence), Symbolism
Influenced
Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, 20th-century French writers

Education

Lycée Henri-IV
Country: France
Secondary-school education; later pursued literary career.

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature
1947
Organization: Nobel Foundation
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Immoralist (L'Immoraliste)

1902 Novel 200 pages

A novel exploring self-discovery and moral conflict; centers on the protagonist's awakening and desires.

selfmorality and desireidentity
Translations
  • The Immoralist (English translation)

Strait Is the Gate (La Porte étroite)

1909 Novel 160 pages

A novel about a young woman torn between ascetic faith and love; focuses on inner life and sacrifice.

religionasceticismlove and self-sacrifice

Les caves du Vatican (The Vatican Cellars / Lafcadio's Adventures)

1914 Novel / novella 220 pages

A story containing moral thought-experiments and irony; deals with morality, chance and intrigue.

moral experimentchanceirony

The Pastoral Symphony (La Symphonie Pastorale)

1919 Novel 140 pages

A story about a blind girl and the moral conflicts and affections of those around her.

lovemoralityforgiveness
Adaptations
  • [Film] La Symphonie Pastorale (film) / Jean Delannoy (1946)

The Counterfeiters (Les Faux-monnayeurs)

1925 Novel (meta-fiction) 480 pages

A major work using multiple perspectives, letters and journals to explore modern novelistic possibilities; centers on the relation between author and work.

creationtruth and falsityself-reference

The Fruits of the Earth (Les Nourritures Terrestres)

1897 Essays 120 pages

A sensual collection of essays advocating fullness of life; celebrates self-liberation and the joys of living.

sensualityself-liberationnature

Bibliography

  • The Notebooks of André Walter (Les Cahiers d'André Walter) - 1891
  • The Fruits of the Earth (Les Nourritures Terrestres) - 1897
  • The Immoralist (L'Immoraliste) - 1902
  • Strait Is the Gate (La Porte étroite) - 1909
  • Les Caves du Vatican - 1914
  • The Pastoral Symphony (La Symphonie Pastorale) - 1919
  • The Counterfeiters (Les Faux-monnayeurs) - 1925
  • Corydon - 1924
  • Travels in the Congo (Voyage au Congo) - 1927
  • Journal - multiple volumes (published posthumously / during later life)

Adaptations

  • La Symphonie Pastorale (film directed by Jean Delannoy, 1946)

Translations by Author

  • French translations of Joseph Conrad's works (Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, etc.)

Translations of Works

  • Numerous translations into English and other languages (The Immoralist, The Counterfeiters, The Pastoral Symphony, etc.)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, succinct prosepsychological, often first-person narrationgenre-crossing variety
Recurring Motifs
authentic selfconflict between religion and moralitydesire versus restraintmeta-reflection on artistic creation

Legacy

One of the leading French writers of the 20th century. Through autobiographical methods and a search for the self he raised questions of literature and ethics and influenced many later writers. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947; his work is highly regarded but accompanied by controversy over sexual themes.

Museums

  • Catherine Gide Foundation (holding / research) France (base)

Academic Societies

  • Centers for Gidian Studies (university research groups)

Archives

  • Catherine Gide Foundation archives
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France (related holdings)

In Popular Culture

  • Continuation through film/TV adaptations such as The Pastoral Symphony

Quotes

  • “for his comprehensive and artistically significant writings, in which human problems and conditions have been presented with a fearless love of truth and keen psychological insight.”
    Source: Nobel Prize in Literature (1947 citation) (1947)

Trivia

  • Married his cousin Madeleine Rondeaux in 1895; the marriage remained unconsummated.
  • Fathered a daughter, Catherine Gide, in 1923 with Elisabeth van Rysselberghe.
  • In 1952 some of his works were placed on the Roman Catholic Church's Index of Forbidden Books.