Andre Paul Guillaume GideAwards:
Nobel Prize in Literature-1947 ( He was too ill to
attend the ceremony)Nobel Committee
in its citation stated that the prize was given for
"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"
Born: 22/11/1869 in Paris, France
Died: 19/02/1951 in Paris, France
Citizen: French
Language: French
Andre Gide was born to a middle class
Protestant family and his father was a Professor in Law in Paris
University. His father died when he was eleven years old and Andre's
childhood was lonely and isolated. In 1893 & 1894, he traveled to
North Africa and he seems to have discovered homosexuality there. He
had also befriended Oscar Wilde in 1895 in Algiers, capital of Algeria
and it was presumed that Oscar had introduced Gide to gay attitude.
But research shows that Gide was aware of it before his meeting Oscar
Wilde. This sexual aberration remained with Gide life long, was
reflected in his novel The Immoralist and led to delay in
getting the Nobel Prize because moral issues were involved.
Andre was a prolific writer and his writing
skills blossomed early. In 1908, he helped in founding The New
French Review. Andre started his literary career with
participation in symbolist movement.
Gide's
work can be seen as an investigation of freedom and empowerment in the
face of moralistic and puritanical constraints, and gravitates around
his continuous effort to achieve intellectual honesty. The later
generation writers like Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Satre were
influenced by him.
In 1920s, He raised his voice on Prisoners' rights. During 1926-27, he
toured French Colonial Africa such as Chad and Congo and was appalled
by the French exploitative practices of Business groups there. He also
lent his voice against such corporate practices.
Landmark: Roman Catholic
Church had placed Gide's works on the Index of Forbidden Books in
1952. *
In 1935, André Gide and André Malraux traveled to Berlin to petition
Hitler for the improved treatment of prisoners.
Notable Works:
Travels of Urien(1893), Marshlands(1895),
Saul(1896),
Prometherus Unchained(1899), The
Immoralist
(1902/1930) ,The
Pastoral Symphony
(1934),Fruits of the Earth(1949),The
Counterfeiters(1926/1927),Corydon(1923)
Order Andre Gide's Books below
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