Andr Chamson, 1900-1983

Description

This critical biography, in two volumes, fills a gap in an important area of twentieth-century French Studies there is no biography of Andr Chamson in English. Some exist in French, but this writer is only familiar to English readers and scholars through his better-known novels. Andr Chamsons place in French literature is assured in France, but his work is not well-known in Britain or in other English-speaking communities, mainly owing to the lack of scholarly criticism and biographical studies in existence in the English language. The works of Chamson have much to offer Anglophone readers, in terms of providing a more detailed and informed picture of France, as a nation and as a collection of regional identities. His substantial historical work (novels, essays, biographies) offers a knowledgeable insight into modern France, particularly since the revolution. One of Chamsons major concerns was the study of political, religious and social conflict. His works express and illustrate these lifelong interests. Indeed, a number of these issues are still topical; their origins and their development are effectively illuminated by Chamsons narratives of collective memory. This biography traces the life and times of one of Frances most prominent and active writers in the twentieth century, as well as providing substantial critical analyses of his works. It also features the development of French society in the twentieth century as the context in which Andr Chamson and his contemporaries (such as Albert Camus, Andr Gide, Jean Giono, Andr Malraux, Charles Maurras, Jean-Paul Sartre, and many others) lived and wrote. The biography is intended for students and scholars of French literature, particularly those who are interested in literature, politics, history and political ideology in the twentieth century. It should also appeal to those interested in contemporary literary studies, and to social, cultural, and political historians, as well as to students, scholars, and specialists in the area of the history of ideas.