François René Chateaubriand
French Writer, Founder of France's Romantic Movement in Literature
Sep 4, 2008
Chateaubriand, writer and statesman, was the most influential writer of his generation in France. He is considered by some to have been the founder of the Romantic movement in French literature.
Early Life of François René Chateaubriand
François René, Vicomte de Chateaubriand, was born on September 4, 1768 in Saint-Malo, France, into an aristocratic but poor family. He spent much of his childhood living in the family's rundown castle, an experience that provided rich material for his romantic and literary mind.
Later, he became a soldier, and in 1791, during the French Revolution, he traveled extensively for eight months in North America, recounting his travels in his Voyage en Amérique. On his return, he married, but immediately joined the army of the émigrés. His novel The Natchez, published when he was 58, was based on his experiences among the Native Americans.
Appointed by Napoleon Bonaparte as a Diplomat
After Chateaubriand was wounded fighting for the side of the royalty in France, he fled to England in 1800, in which he taught and translated. He also wrote a book about the French Revolution. He returned to France and achieved great critical acclaim at age 34 with The Beauties of Christianity, a vindication of the Church of Rome. This book brought him to the attention of the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him a diplomat and sent him to Rome, Italy, as envoy to the little republic of Valais.
However, Chateaubriand soon resigned to protest the execution of a prominent French aristocrat, Due d'Enghien. Instead he sailed out for the East in 1806, visiting Greece, Palestine and Egypt, and returned to France the following year. He remained opposed to Napoleon Bonaparte until the leader's fall in 1815.
Literary Achievements
In 1811 Chateaubriand was elected to the prestigious French Academy for his literary achievements. His lyrical prose influenced many other writers, including Victor Hugo of Les Miserables fame. Today, he is primarily remembered for his autobiography, Memoirs from Beyond the Grave. He died in Paris on July 4, 1848, at the age of 79.
Works by François René Chateaubriand
- Essay on the Revolutions, 1797
- Atala, 1801
- Genie du christianisme, 1802 (The Beauties of Christianity, 1813)
- René, 1802 (René: A Tale, 1813)
- The Martyrs, 1809
- Itineraire de Paris a Jerusalem, 1811 (Travels in Greece, Palestine, Egypt and Barbary, 1812)
- The Last of the Abencérages, 1826, a tale of 16th Century Spain
- Les Natchez, 1827 (The Natchez, 1827)
- Voyage en Amérique, 1827, (Travels in America, 1828)
- Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, 1848-1849 (published after he died)
Sources:
Illustrated Biographical Dictionary, John Clark, Ed. London: Chancellor Press, 1994
Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring (1994)
