Chateaubriand, François-René de << shah toh bree AHN, frahn SWAH ruh NAY duh >> (1768-1848), was one of the most important figures in French Romantic literature. His novel Atala (1801) describes a tragic love affair between two Indigenous (native) North Americans. The novel is an example of the European Romantics’ fascination with primitive and faraway subjects. Chateaubriand’s The Spirit of Christianity (1802) praises Christianity as a great cultural and moral force. One part of it, called René, is the story of a young man whose vague feeling of despair makes him a typical Romantic hero. Chateaubriand’s autobiography, Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, was published soon after his death. It is often called his best work.
Chateaubriand was born on Sept. 4, 1768, in St.-Malo. He held several diplomatic posts, including that of French foreign minister in 1823. He died on July 4, 1848.
