Alphonse Daudet was a prolific writer of the late nineteenth century. Feted and admired by many Parisian realist writers and poets of the Midi, he also frequented many important literary, cultural and political figures of the day. Yet he never fully attained the stature of nineteenth-century French literary giants such as Flaubert, Maupassant, Balzac, Zola, and the Goncourts. In fact, up until the 1940s, there were critics such as Auriant (Alexandre Hadjivassiliou) who disparaged his works, positing that he should be excluded even from “les petits maîtres du XIXe siècle” [the minor writers of the 19th century] and relegated to the ranks of “des romanciers discrédités ou disqualifiés” [discredited and disqualified writers/novelists] (1948, 106). Despite such virulent attacks by Auriant, Daudet’s work was celebrated in Germany, the US and the UK, where he was regarded...
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Citation: Tirven-Gadum, Vina. "Alphonse Daudet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 March 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1146, accessed 14 December 2025.]
