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Literary connections

France isn’t just a country to visit — it’s also a country shaped by its writers. And you experience them differently when you’ve grown up there.

This blog, developed alongside the Discover France website, invites you to discover the authors every French child encounters at school — and to meet them as we explore places where they once lived or spent time during their lives.

  • Molière in Pézenas

    Our path crosses that of Molière in Pézenas. Admittedly, one must concede that Pézenas is not Stratford-upon-Avon, and Molière—the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin—is not Shakespeare. And although the town prides itself on being the home of France’s most famous playwright, his actual time there was relatively brief: just a few stays during his twelve…

    Oval engraved portrait of Molière, 17th-century French playwright, in period dress with long curled hair

  • Epic Poets in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

    It is in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert that we came across the medieval literary world and the Chansons de Geste such as the William of Orange cycle – epic poems which are between history and legend. Unlike the works of those celebrated so far on this blog, these poems have no known author—they were composed and reshaped over…

    Illuminated manuscript page from a 14th-century copy of the Chanson de Roland, showing a mounted angel appearing to a fallen knight in red armor, with Old French verse above.

  • Rabelais in Montpellier

    We came across Rabelais strolling through the paths of the Montpellier Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Garden) when he was studying medicine in the early 1530s. A staple of every schoolchild’s curriculum in France, Rabelais is a major figure of French Renaissance literature. Rabelais is first and foremost a colorful personality, the apostle of bawdiness and…

    Oil portrait of François Rabelais, Renaissance humanist and author, wearing a dark robe and flat black hat, with a knowing half-smile.

  • Paul Valéry in Sète

    « Le vent se lève! »* In France, unlike in the United States where poetry is sometimes highlighted during presidential inaugurations, poetry is less commonly heard at major public occasions. Yet a few names stand out in the pantheon of French authors, and Paul Valéry (1871- 1945) is one of them. An important figure of…

    Black and white portrait photograph of French poet Paul Valéry, born in Sète, showing his distinctive mustache and penetrating gaze

  • Jean Racine in Uzès

    Jean Racine (1639–1699) is the second great French author we encounter in Uzès, a place that reveals itself, once again, as a land of poetry and literary memory. Another major figure of French literature, Racine stayed here for nearly two years more than 360 years ago. Essential to French culture, he captured romantic passion and…

    Portrait of Jean Racine, 17th-century French playwright. Oil painting showing a man in a dark curly wig, lace cravat, blue sash, and gold-embroidered robe. His name appears in gold lettering at the top of the oval composition.

  • André Gide in Uzès

    André Gide, 1869 – 1951, holds a special place in the pantheon of French authors. As we explore Uzès and its surroundings, his presence quietly emerges through personal memories and literary echoes tied to this region. With his rich and varied body of work—journalist, essayist, playwright, novelist, and more—he is known for seeking to challenge…

    Black and white photograph of André Gide as a young child, aged 4, holding a hoop