Born: 13 May 1840 · Died: 16 December 1897 · Age: 57
French writer of Letters from My Windmill and Tartarin of Tarascon, beloved for his tales of Provence
Did you know?He moved to Paris as a teenager to become a journalist and is now remembered for stories that captured the traditions of southern France.
Quick facts
Date of birth13 May 1840
Date of death16 December 1897
Age at death57
Cause of deathSyphilis
NationalityFrench
BirthplaceNîmes, France
Occupationwriter, playwright, poet
Editor's Take:
Alphonse Daudet brought the sunshine and humour of Provence into French literature. He was born in Nîmes, but his family's business collapsed, and he went to Paris at 17 to write. He became secretary to a powerful statesman, the Duc de Morny. His Letters from My Windmill, short tales of southern life, remain much loved. His comic hero Tartarin of Tarascon is a boastful southerner who dreams of adventure. He also wrote novels about Paris society. In later years he suffered terribly from syphilis.
Louis Marie Alphonse Daudet (French:; 13 May 1840 – 16 December 1897) was a French novelist and writer of short stories. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet.
