Alain-Fournier

Henri-Alban Fournier (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʁi albɑ̃ fuʁnje]; 3 October 1886 – 22 September 1914), known by the pseudonym Alain-Fournier (French: [alɛ̃ fuʁnje]), was a French author and soldier. He was the author of a novel, Le Grand Meaulnes (1913), which has been filmed twice and is considered a classic of French literature. The book is based partly on his childhood.

Biography

Alain-Fournier was born in La Chapelle-d'Angillon, in the Cher département, in central France, the son of school teachers. Everyone who knew him called him "Henri", his first name or "Fournier", his last name, as "Alain-Fournier" was merely a nom-de-plume. He had a younger sister, Isabelle, to whom he was very close. She was one of his first readers, his confidante and most constant friend and supporter throughout his life.

He studied at the Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, near Paris, where he prepared for the entrance examination to the École Normale Supérieure. He met there fellow student Jacques Rivière, and the two became close friends, though it took a while as Henri's rebellious and playful nature first kept Jacques at bay. He was then the leader of a group of boys who were fighting against hazing, and circulating revolutionary petitions. About their growing friendship, Jacques Rivière wrote: "Underneath his untamed exterior, I found him to be tender, naive, filled with a sweet, dreamy sap, even infinitely more vulnerable than me, which is saying something, in the face of life". The two of them had long and insightful talks and shared the same sensitivity and love for words and poetry, especially the Symbolist movement.