Person Information
-
Show Citations
François-Rene Vicomte de Chateaubriand
Birth: 9-4-1768
Death: 7-4-1848
Biography
Although Francois Rene de Chateaubriand held political and ministerial posts under Napoleon, Louis XVIII, and Charles X, he is best known for being considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature. Francois was born in France, the last of ten children. At the age of 17 he decided to pursue a military career, and quickly escalated through the ranks to the position of Captain. After witnessing the first stages of the Revolution of 1789, however, he left for the United States in 1791. In the United States, where he stayed for five months, he wrote the book Les Natchez. After his return to France he continued to write and publish influential novels. In the early nineteenth century he published: Le Genie du christianisme, Atala, Les Martyrs, Rene, Itineraire de Paris a Jerusalem and Voyages en Amerique et en Italie. Throughout his long writing career he also worked as a political journalist for the "Mercure de France." In 1847 he completed his autobiography, Memoires d'outre tombe (The Memoirs of Chateaubriand).
Citations
Although Francois Rene de Chateaubriand held political and ministerial posts under Napoleon, Louis XVIII, and Charles X, he is best known for being considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature. Francois was born in France, the last of ten children. At the age of 17 he decided to pursue a military career, and quickly escalated through the ranks to the position of Captain. After witnessing the first stages of the Revolution of 1789, however, he left for the United States in 1791. In the United States, where he stayed for five months, he wrote the book Les Natchez. After his return to France he continued to write and publish influential novels. In the early nineteenth century he published: Le Genie du christianisme, Atala, Les Martyrs, Rene, Itineraire de Paris a Jerusalem and Voyages en Amerique et en Italie. Throughout his long writing career he also worked as a political journalist for the "Mercure de France." In 1847 he completed his autobiography, Memoires d'outre tombe (The Memoirs of Chateaubriand).