Daudet, Alphonse << doh DAY, al FAWNS >> (1840-1897), is sometimes called the French Dickens. Like the English author Charles Dickens, Daudet wrote about poor and suffering people and the outcasts of society. Both writers often softened their pictures of the cruelty of reality with a sympathy that occasionally became too sentimental. Daudet had a clear, graceful style. His simple observations of society and his humor and fantasy have made him a favorite with young readers.
Daudet is best known for his humorous short stories in Letters from My Mill (1866) and the patriotic stories in Monday’s Tales (1873). The comic adventures of his boastful character Tartarin appear in two novels, Tartarin of Tarascon (1872) and Tartarin over the Alps (1895). Daudet also wrote serious realistic novels that contain excellent pictures of his time. These books include The Nabob (1877) and Sapho (1884).
Daudet was born on May 13, 1840, in Nimes. His parents were poor, and he was bullied in school by classmates and teachers. He described his unhappy youth in Little What’s Your Name (1868), his first novel. Daudet died on Dec. 16, 1897.
