Claudel << kloh DEHL >>, Paul (1868-1955), was a French writer and diplomat. He became one of the foremost French poets and playwrights in the early 1900’s and helped provide a new religious focus to the literature of his time. His writings are examples of the Roman Catholic revival in French literature and philosophy.
Early in his life, Claudel lost his religious faith. But on Christmas Day in 1886, he had a spiritual experience while listening to evening prayers in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. This experience led to the return of his faith and to his acceptance of orthodox Catholicism.
Claudel expresses his religious faith in such lyric poems as Cinq Grandes Odes (1910). But he is best known as a playwright. His most famous play, The Tidings Brought to Mary (1912), portrays the triumph of divine love. It illustrates themes common throughout his work: the relationship between human love and salvation, the link between humanity and divine will, and the necessity of self-sacrifice for the redemption of others.
Claudel was born on Aug. 6, 1868, in Villeneuve-sur-Fere, near Soissons, France. Between 1893 and 1935, he worked in several countries as a French diplomat. He served as France’s ambassador to Japan, the United States, and Belgium. Claudel was elected to the French Academy in 1946. He died on Feb. 23, 1955.
See also French literature (The early years).
