André Gide
French writer
He
first achieved fame as a novelist with The Immoralist (1902), which is
partially autobiographical. The book is focused on a young man 15315j911p who breaks the
ordinary moral rules, in his search for self-fulfillment. All his important
novels, including Strait Is the Gate (1909), Lafcadio's
Adventures (1914), and The Counterfeiters (1926), are concerned with
individuals who seek out their true natures, overcoming ethical concepts. Gide was a sustainer of French liberal thought, and one of
the founders (1909) of the Nouvelle Revue Française.
He was a controversial figure of his time, for his defense of homosexuality and
for his adhering to Communism and disavowing it after a visit to the Soviet Union. Gide produced
plays, stories, and essays, dealing with a great diversity of subjects and
literary techniques. He made use of myth in writing his satirical Prometheus
Misbound (1899). Travels in the Congo (1927) and Retour
du Tchad (1928)
constituted important influences in reforming the French colonial policy in Africa. In 1947, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature.
